Of Sacrifices and Love
by padfootl0ve
Summary: After his confrontation with Quirellmort at the end of first year, the protection that Harry's mother left on him when she dies brings welcome changes to his life. *ON HIATUS*
1. 1- Awakening

**A/N: This story takes place at the end of Harry's first year, just after the confrontation with Quirellmort. This is my first fanfic, and yes, I realize that it is a cliché but I needed to start somewhere. Constructive criticism is welcome.**

 **Disclaimer: The wonderful wizardring world of Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to the amazing J.K. Rowling.**

As the sun sets in Godric's Hallow, two people appear. Their appearance is what many would call a miracle, and what a few would understand was out of necessity. In the little cemetery, both lay quite still. For hours both lay, neither waking. After the sun is gone, and a bitter, chilly wind whips through the air, a man, the first of the two awakes. Only knowing he is awake, but not entirely knowing why, he lays for a few moments. Taking stock of himself and how he feels, slowly remembering things that drive a shiver of dread through his spine. After taking catalogue of his body and possible injuries, and realizing that beyond being sore and stiff he is better than one should be after being dead. Idly, he works to open his eyes, knowing that he must discover the truth of what has happened. Moving slowly, he begins to get up, until a voice, soft, gentle, and unsure, throws him into a sense of urgency.

"James?" she inquires, sounding as if she's hoping for a response, but dreading the possibility of not receiving one.

"Lily," he breathes a sigh of relief, letting out the fear he had been holding tight since his mind woke. "Are you alright? How long have you been awake?" Now standing, eyes wide and alert, James leans down to his wife, her red hair fanned about her body, as she slowly pushes herself up onto her elbows, slowly opening her eyes, the emerald orbs searching his hazel ones, as if to reassure herself that yes he was there, and she wasn't imagining things. James leans a hand down, which she gratefully takes as he helps pull her up, despite his sore and protesting muscles. For a moment, they just stand, holding each other, taking comfort in the fact that they were together, that for a moment at least, they need not think, only take comfort in the presence of the other.

Slowly, almost regretfully, Lily leans back to look at her husband. She looks him in the eyes, and says one thing, "Harry." James immediately jumps into action, looking for any clues that could lead him to his son. Noticing their headstone, he pulls her forward. "Lily, he's not here. It must have worked. We must have saved him!"

"James, we have to find him. Why else would we be back? He needs us. We need to go find Dumbledore."

"No. Sirius. He would be with Sirius," James counters fiercely, wanting to see their son as soon as possible.

"Honey, yes he would be, but we don't know where Sirius might be. We don't even know what time of year it is, much less how much time may have passed. For all we know 15 years may have passed. He might be in Hogwarts, or it might be summer holidays. Either way, we both know that Albus will know where he is. I'd rather find him sooner than guessing where Sirius may be," Lily counters, knowing that her husband wants to find Harry as soon as possible, but also knowing he won't think rationally if Harry is in danger. James visibly deflates in front of her, recognizing her logic, even if he doesn't like it. Running a hand through his messy black hair, he replies in a manner they belies his stress and anxiety of the situation "Alright Lil's, we'll take the Honeydukes passage way into the castle. It'll be faster than apparating to the front gates and then traversing through all of Hogwarts to get to his office. The faster we get there, the better." Lily relaxes, seeing James going into Auror mode, and knowing that he will get them to their son as soon as possible. She takes his arm, and he quickly apparates them to Hogsmeade, willing himself towards Hogsmeade, towards Hogwarts, and hopefully, towards their son.


	2. 2- Findings

**Disclaimer: The wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to the amazing J.K. Rowling.**

Albus Dumbledore was an old man. Not many usually used that to describe him. With his long white beard, eccentric clothing, twinkling blue eyes, and an aura of power, not many would us that to describe him, no matter how he may look it. His eyes showed wisdom and youthfulness at the same time, somehow never betraying the 110 years of life he had managed to live. However, for one of the first times in his life, his age truly showed. One of his students, one he thought of as a grandson just narrowly escaped death from the same person that killed his parents. Albus did not want to dwell on what would have happened had he not arrived in time. The likelihood being Harry's death. While the boy was now resting in the infirmary under the watchful gaze of Madame Pompfrey, Albus Dumbledore was feeling the guilt of what had happened. Having received a letter to come to the Ministry under urgent business, asking him to fly by broom, Albus departed immediately. It wasn't until he was near half-way there that he realized, and managed to break, the compulsion charm he was under. Immediately realizing the trap, he landed his broom and Apparated back to Hogwarts front gates. His sense of urgency, coupled with the knowledge that there were only a few people who could land a compulsion charm on him, had him surging forward with superhuman speed. When the headmaster ran across a frightened Miss Granger, he learned what he had feared, with an even worse prospect. Voldemort himself had decided to after the Philosopher's Stone that night. When he learned that Harry Potter and his friends had taken it upon themselves to save the stone, he fled to the third floor corridor, but not before informing young Hermione to go wait in the Hospital Wing. After flying through the traps, Albus came across Quirell, who had Voldemort on his side, and a mostly unconscious Harry Potter. Albus called out the boy's name, hoping for a response of any kind, and quickly detached Quirell from the form of Harry, causing Voldemort to flee as a wraith, and Quirell to die. Quickly, he began to cast healing spells, hoping for the best and fearing for the worst. After the boy was in a stable condition, he quickly picked him up, not particularly caring that a levitation charm would have worked just as well, and made his way to the Hospital Wing. After calling out to Poppy Pompfrey, he set the boy down on a bed, as gently as possible. Something rolled out of Harry's pocket, and, in shock and astonishment, Albus picked it up. In his hand, was the Philosopher's Stone. His mind whirling with the many implications, Albus sat heavily in a chair as Poppy approached and began to take care of Harry. In between answering questions about Harry, to the best of his knowledge, Albus began to consider all the things that would need to be done. The Flamel's would need to be contacted, and asked what they wished to be done with the stone. He would have to go investigate the cause of Quirell's death, as well as informing the teachers of what happened and dismantling the traps. Perhaps finding an alternate home for Fluffy as well. Resolving to contact the Flamel's first, he checked on one Harry one last time before heading to his office for an urgent conversation.

After reaching his destination, Albus fire-called the Flamel's, dreading the information he was to provide them. Sticking his head into the fire, Albus called out for his long-time friend and mentor, injecting the urgency of the situation into his voice. "Nicholas?"

A head popped into view, followed by the rest of his friend. Nicholas usually joyful round face started to crease into worry as he took in the weary and worried set of Albus's face. Knowing that the last time he saw that look on his friends face was when he informed Nicholas and his wife Pernelle of the death of their daughter, he felt a sense of foreboding creeping over him. "Albus, what is it. What's happened?"

"Someone managed to get through the protections and get to it. Voldemort was possessing Professor Quirell. He did not manage to get the stone, but only through the efforts of three brave first years. He timed it perfectly, a compulsion charm on a letter to urgently fly by broom to the ministry and I was gone. The stone is safe, I have it with me now, but I need to know what you wish done with it. Gringotts is no longer safe for it, and now neither is Hogwarts, I cannot keep it in the school anymore, especially after two of my first years injured themselves in order to protect it. I am sorry Nicholas," Albus sighed heavily, hating what he was saying, hating that those students had to prevent Voldemort from returning by themselves.

Nicholas paled. Three students, the same age as his grandson, going against Voldemort and traps most grown wizards would not have been able to get through. With a chill going down his spine, Nicholas realized Albus had not told him the names of the children. "Albus, who were they? The students that stopped Voldemort? Please, Albus, tell me it wasn't my grandson. Please tell me he is safe in Gryffindor tower," Nicholas pleaded with his long-time friend. He hasn't been able to protect his grandson before, but if he was in danger or injured because of the stone, because of Nicholas, he didn't know what he would do. Nicholas didn't know if he could bear it. Chancing a glance at his friends face, Nicholas felt sick. Albus looked pale and pained, world-weary and guilty. That only meant his grandson had been involved. "What happened?"

Albus sighed. He had hoped, against hope that Nicholas would not ask. He did not know if his friend could take it. Knowing that his grandson was involved may be too much for him to bear. Slowly, haltingly, Albus began to explain, knowing how much this would hurt his old friend. "Young Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter managed to find out about the stone, and, somehow, who was after it. After I left this evening, they found out that an attempt was to be made. They informed Minerva, who did not take them at face value. When she did not believe them they decided to go after the stone themselves in order to protect it from Voldemort. Mister Weasley sacrificed himself in the chess match so that the other two could go on. Miss Granger came back through the traps to help Ronald and try to inform me of what was happening. Harry had gone on to face Voldemort. He is fine now, but magically exhausted. It will probably be a few days before he wakes."

Nicholas stayed stock still, trying to overcome his shock and horror at what he had just learned. While he and Pernelle had not been able to take Harry in because of the danger it may pose (many attempts for the stone had already been made, they did not want people going after Harry to get the stone) they still loved him, and had hoped to protect him, even if it meant the pain of not being able to know their grandson. Now learning that those efforts were in vain, and that, reading in-between the lines, Harry nearly died to protect the stone, Nicholas felt nothing but revulsion towards what had kept him and his wife alive for so long. Knowing that they could have saved him from a childhood with Petunia and nothing would have changed made him physically sick. Shakily, he began to speak; "Destroy it Albus. Destroy it. I have to speak to Pernelle, but I'm sure she will agree. I couldn't bare it if he died or came into danger because of us again. I would rather die." Albus face turned white, and a tear leaked out of his eyes. Nicholas knew this must be hard for his old friend. Much of his family, and now pseudo-family was gone. Losing Pernelle and himself would be hard on him.

"I understand. I do not like it, but I understand. Before… before it happens, would you like to see Harry? You are welcome to stay in Hogwarts for a few days. I have no objection, and, in any case, Harry has a right to know."

"Yes, I believe we shall. Before I talk to Pernelle, I must know. Did the protection activate? Did it work? Are they here for him, at the very least, when me and Pernelle cannot? Surely facing Voldemort again would have activated it." Nicholas said all of this looking somehow grave and hopeful all at once. "I would like to see her. Even if it's just one time."

Albus sighed. He wasn't sure. When James and Lily had gone into hiding, James spent a great deal of time searching through old familial rituals, in hopes of finding a way to save his son from the threat of Voldemort. He finally found one, an extremely complicated and circumstantial one that had the possibility of saving Harry. He approached Albus, asking if he could help. If there was any way he could improve it to save Lily as well. After spending months pouring through all possibilities, all safe ways to alter such a ritual, he finally found something. Believing a version of what James had asked of him was possible, he approached the young man. There wasn't a way to save both Lily and Harry, but, with the help of the Philosopher's stone, and himself powering the ritual he believed he found a way for them to be there for Harry if Voldemort ever attacked and they weren't there. The only hitch was they would both have to willingly die, with no second thoughts or reservations for Harry. Out of pure love. Then, if Voldemort ever threatened their son again, they would, hopefully, return. Albus didn't know if it had worked or not. Oh he knew that the protection probably saved Harry this dreadful night, but he did not know if it managed to save James and Lily. "I am afraid I do not know Nicholas. They haven't appeared, but they may. This has all happened in the last few hours. We also do not know if it will work for sure. I am sorry my old friend, but if they show themselves soon you will be the first to know."

Nicholas sighed heavily, some of his hope retreating from the bleak statement. "Alright Albus, I understand. I am going to talk to Pernelle. If our girl shows up, please, fire-call us. We will come to Hogwarts tomorrow morning, if that is alright with you?"

Albus nodded, "It is perfectly fine. I shall see you in the morning my friend." Sighing, he pulled his head out of the fire. Sending a Patronus to each member of his trusted staff, he asked them to pull down the traps, and asked Severus and Minerva to take care of Quirell's body, promising a thorough explanation to each the next day. Sitting at his desk, Albus put his head in his hands. He never thought the school year could end quite so badly. While he had had his suspicions the Voldemort was not dead, Albus had truly hoped that he was. Now knowing that he was not, and that young Harry's life was now in mortal danger, as well as knowing that Nicholas would be dying soon, was almost too much. Adding the fact that young Harry needed his parents more than ever and it appeared that the ritual had not worked, Albus was almost at his breaking point. Albus loved the boy as his own grandson, and while he could not get overtly close to him because of his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts, he could do his best to protect him. Now he seemed to be failing at even that. He was unable to stop Harry from having to face Voldemort in his very own school, Albus did not feel optimistic. Only his parents could provide the protection he so sorely needed, as well as the love. Albus did not want to send Harry back to the Dursley's, especially after such a traumatic experience but he did not have a choice. The blood wards around Petunia's home had stopped several Death Eaters from reaching Harry, some in some ingenious ways (one had had a friend transfigure him into a squirrel, for example, to try and breach the wards), and Albus was too busy to be able to properly protect the boy, something hammered even deeper in after this disastrous night.

Lost in his own thoughts, with tears spilling down his face, Albus did not hear his office door open. Suddenly a tentative voice called out "Albus?" Looking up in shocks, he felt some joy. Lily. James. Running around his desk, he embraced the young man who called his name, crying openly on his shoulder as Lily hugged him from the side, both renewing a sense of warmth and optimism he had lost throughout the night.


	3. 3- Questions

**Disclaimer: The wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to the amazing J.K. Rowling.**

James and Lily quickly and quietly made their way through Hogwarts. Neither wanted to be seen, knowing that they are supposed to be dead. Coming up to the gargoyle, both stared at it, realizing they didn't know the password.

"Well," James began, "I doubt Albus has lost his inclination towards sweet passwords." Lily gave him a look of disbelief. "Are we supposed to list everything from Honeydukes, James?"

Shrugging, James ran a hand through his hair, show-casing how anxious he was. "If we must. How else are we supposed to get up there? You know Albus is one of three people that would know what's going on, and we don't even know where your parents are. So, time to start guessing." Grumbling, Lily started listing sweets. James joined in, finally guessing "Acid Pops" as the correct password. The gargoyle creaked and moved aside, showing the winding staircase to the Headmaster's office. Suddenly nervous, Lily grabbed James hand. Neither knew if Albus would actually be there, or what had happened that had called them back from the grave. Ascending the stairs, both held their breath in nervousness and fear, knowing there wouldn't be good news awaiting themselves behind the door to the office.

Approaching the door, James knocked softly, remembering Albus's knack of knowing just when someone was outside the door. Hearing no response, James shrugged his shoulders towards Lily, and softly pushed the door open. Looking inside, James sucked in a breath. Albus Dumbledore, his father figure and mentor, was sitting at his desk, hands covering part of his face with a few tears rolling down his cheeks. Feeling concerned, James called out softly "Albus?" In any other situation, James may have been proud that he had shocked the headmaster so, but the worry for Albus was much greater at the moment.

"James? Lily?" Albus breathed out in response, as if he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Suddenly, his face lit up with joy, and he ran around his desk and embraced James, tears pouring unashamedly down his cheeks. Lily smiled softly, before moving towards them, and embracing them from the side. Both James and Lily knew how rare it was for Albus to breakdown, and both felt inclined to let him recover. After the tears stopped, they broke apart. Albus's face was hopeful and happy, a far-cry from the tears that had been pouring down his cheeks just moments before. Knowing they needed answers, Lily decided to start asking questions.

"Albus? Are you alright? What's happened? Is Harry okay?" Smiling, he shook himself and got down to business. "Lily, everything is fine now. I do not believe you would believe me if I told you how much we needed you both back. Harry is okay, he wasn't, but he will be. I promise you shall have the full story, but I believe you both need the basic facts you are missing before I explain tonight's mishaps and mistakes."

James paled slightly, knowing something had happened, but relaxed in remembering that Harry was alright. Sighing, he asked for some basic answers "How old is our son, Albus? Is he happy? How are Sirius and Remus? Does he enjoy living with them?"

Growing grave, Albus decided to start out with the simpler answers, hoping to forestall the more complicated and saddening ones. "Harry is eleven, this was his first year at Hogwarts. I believe him to be happy, he has a few close friends, who I know they would do anything for each other." Indeed, anything, he thought sadly, remembering the events from the same night. James must have picked up on his reluctance to share the fates of Sirius and Remus, because the next thing he knew James had asked him "What about Sirius? And Remus? Where are they, and is Harry with them?"

Wincing, Albus decided to pull off the proverbial band-aid, knowing that there wasn't much of a way to soften the blow. "Remus is currently abroad, I know he has been working odd jobs to try and make ends meet. I try to help him whenever I can, but he usually is too stubborn to accept my help." Steeling himself, Albus added "and Sirius is in Azkaban for betraying you and killing Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles."

James face lost all color it may have retained, and Lily looked sick. Seeming as if the words caused him physical pain to say, James said "It wasn't Sirius. It was Peter. We switched secret keepers. Too many people found out about Sirius, and he was afraid of being captured and having it tortured out of him. His so called family was already out for his blood, and he knew that our Secret was in danger. He asked us to switch to Peter so he couldn't give us away even if he was captured. We… we never suspected Peter, and he was far from the obvious choice. We kept the switch secret so we could protect Peter. I never… I never thought it was him. I never thought Sirius could be blamed." Ashen faced, James looked up at Albus. "What did he say? What did he say at his trial? I don't understand how he could be blamed for betraying us when he couldn't and wouldn't do so."

It was Albus's turn to lose some of the color of his face. "You mean to tell me, that Sirius has been innocent all this time? I wasn't at his trial. They couldn't have convicted him if he had one, so I can only imagine that he did not or someone sabotaged it. We need to make sure things are as they seem. If he wasn't your secret keeper I am inclined to believe that he is possible innocent of all of the murders as well. It wouldn't make sense for him to not be." Sighing heavily, Albus added, "However, I believe we must take care of a few matters first. Lily, I need to contact your parents. Hopefully you can talk them out of their planned course of action, because I cannot. I know you will both want to see Harry, so I will then escort you down to the Hospital Wing. After I will attempt to contact Remus for you James, and explain the situation."

Lily hesitantly asked "Sir, what happened tonight? And what's wrong with my parents?" Sighing heavily, Albus began to explain. How her parents had asked him to guard the Philosophers Stone after Gringotts became unsafe. How Harry and his friends had found out someone was after it. How Albus had been tricked by a compulsion charm and only made it back just in time, and how Nicholas had decided to destroy the stone in order to try and protect Harry one last time.

Shakily, Lily nodded, while James sat, open-mouthed and pale after learning of the events of the night. Neither could quite believe everything that happened, and finally understood what Albus meant by them both being needed there. Ashen-faced, Lily stood, making her way to the fireplace to talk to her parents, and hopefully convince them that drastic matters were no longer needed.

James wasn't sure how to feel. He loved Albus as a father, but hearing everything that happened, he felt several things at once. Anger and disbelief that Albus didn't even question what happened with Sirius. How someone Albus himself had taken under his wing was disregarded so blatantly. He was Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont, yet he didn't assure that Sirius had a trial, or bother to show up if by some miracle he had. Fear was also present. Fear for his son, and the hardships he already had to face. Between the Dursley's and now Voldemort, Harry seemed to end up in the worst situations possible. Because James mother was a Black, had Sirius not been sent to Azkaban the blood wards would have worked around his home and kept Harry safe. That was part of the reason they named him godfather. Moony wasn't related and wouldn't be allowed to raise Harry because of his condition, and Peter simply wasn't responsible enough to handle Harry. As much as Sirius and he joked around, Padfoot was responsible and caring when it came to those who held his heart, and had always been a fierce protector of Harry.

Fear for Sirius was also present. His brother in all but blood had to endure Azkaban for nearly 11 years while being innocent. The thought of how much he must have been through nearly had James weeping for him. James nearly lost it the one time he came up to a Dementor in the heat of a battle. He could barely cast his Patronus. Knowing that Sirius had been surrounded by them for years with no means of escape made James sick. He could only hope that Sirius managed to stay sane while in the dreadful prison. There was also a fear for Remus mixed in with everything. His other brother. The one that had been left completely alone, believing one friend to be a traitor and the other two dead. He wouldn't have accepted handouts from anyone, especially being alone and now having the ministry able to ban him from seeing Harry. James could only imagine how bad anti-werewolf legislation must have gotten in the 10 or so years he had been gone. Also, James feared for Lily's parents. Knowing what they were willing to do to keep Harry safe warmed his heart, but the fear that Lily would not be able to talk them out of it, even with them being back, was very real. James loved Lily's parents. While they hadn't been able to be terribly close in order to keep Lily safe, they loved their daughter and grandson more than life itself and he loved them for that.

Unremarkably, James thoughts drifted towards Peter. He was beyond rage towards what Peter had done to them. Add to that the fact he was likely responsible for Sirius ending up in Azkaban, James had nothing but hatred and disgust filling him when he thought of a man who had once been a brother to him. He used to think of Peter as his bumbling, younger brother. The one that needed protecting but was always there and looked up to him. Now, he was second only to Voldemort in James mind, only because Voldemort had done the actual killing of his wife and many more.

Sighing, James went over to the fireplace. If he could, he wanted to help convince Nicholas and Pernelle to keep living. He also knew Lily would need him there, whatever happened. Placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he waited while she stuck her head into the fire and called out. After a few moments, Lily dragged him down so his face was in the fire with hers. Getting over his sudden dizziness he looked around, and noticed Nicholas, his face tearstained, resting on his knees in front of the fireplace.

"James, Lily. It's so good to see you. I've missed you my girl." Apparently deciding to cut to the chase, Lily stated "Dad, you're not really going to go through with this ridiculous plan, are you? While I appreciate your willingness to do anything to protect Harry, James and I can protect him now. Please, do not do this. Especially not after I just got back. Harry hasn't even had a chance to meet his grandparents yet."

Sighing, Nicholas looked Lily in her eyes. "Honey, can you honestly tell me that Harry would not be safer if that stone was destroyed? Not to mention yourself. When people find out Harry is related to us it will spell disaster. I'm surprised things weren't more dangerous than they were when people found out about you." Sighing, James ran a hand through his hair and looked at Nicholas.

"Nicholas, while I can't say for sure that things wouldn't be safer, I can say that they would still be dangerous. Voldemort was now bested by Harry twice. He won't stop until my son is dead. Lily and I are here and we can protect him now. Can you honestly say he would be happier though? He grew up with Petunia. You know how she hated magic when she found out she didn't have any. I can only imagine what Harry went through living with her. He's going to need all the family he can get, and if he's anything like me or Lily, knowing that you gave up your life because you thought he might possibly be safer would hurt him. Where he could have known you, even if not much, he never will. All he will know is that he's now missing more of his family than he thought. Please, at least think about it."

Nicholas nodded, a contemplative expression on his face. "I'll talk to Pernelle, but I can't imagine you are wrong. Now that we have our girl back I think Pernelle will be inclined to agree with you."

Shooting James a grateful smile, Lily added "And besides everything else, I didn't get much time with you before I died. I'm not sure how I could handle it if suddenly you are gone just when I came back."

Smiling, Nicholas nodded. "Alright Lily. We will talk it over. I'll see you in the morning, Pernelle and I are both coming to Hogwarts. I'll let you know our final decision in the morning. I love you sweetie, and James, it's nice to see you again."

"Love you to dad." Lily stepped out of the fire, pulling James with her, but not before he managed a quick "You as well sir" in Nicholas direction. Sighing Lily relaxed. After a moment, she managed to recover. Suddenly irate, she turned towards Albus with a glare that would have made Merlin himself run in the opposite direction. Gulping audibly, the twinkle in Albus's eyes disappeared as Lily asked, "Now what is this I hear about my son living with Petunia?"


	4. 4- Direction

**Disclaimer: The amazing world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

 _A/N: Some people will be slightly OOC. I felt a warning should come in. Also, in case anybody has questions about Dumbledore, let me explain a few things. In the books and a lot of fanfics, a lot of people see him as all powerful and all-knowing, even though he himself has said that he's just a man. Dumbledore makes mistakes. Dumbledore doesn't know everything. He is over 100 years old, and not infallible. I want to show Dumbledore as human. Yes, he will still be powerful. Yes, he still knows a heck of a lot. But I want to show him having emotions. Making mistakes. Trying to figure things out. Being bested, and besting others. I want to show him as a person, not some mysterious (although he will still be a tad) all knowing character. That being said, I hope you like what I do with him._

 _Previously:_

" _Love you to dad." Lily stepped out of the fire, pulling James with her, but not before he managed a quick "You as well sir" in Nicholas direction. Sighing Lily relaxed. After a moment, she managed to recover. Suddenly irate, she turned towards Albus with a glare that would have made Merlin himself run in the opposite direction. Gulping audibly, the twinkle in Albus's eyes disappeared as Lily asked, "Now what is this I hear about my son living with Petunia?"_

 **Chapter 4**

Lily was mad. James had only seen her truly mad on a couple of occasions. Sure, she got annoyed, ticked off, and infuriated often enough, but rarely does she get truly mad. The two times James had been afraid for his life. When Lily is irritated with someone she yells. When she's mad, she's calm until she hexes you within an inch of your life. She listens to your logical arguments, makes non-committal noises to urge you on, than proceeds to verbally flay you within an inch of your life, before hexing you and leaving to deal with whatever mess may have been made. No one ever knows they could feel so small until they are at the end of such a treatment. Lily mad could probably make several of Voldemort's own inner circle quake in their boots. Now, all this all-consuming angry power was directed at the Headmaster. James nearly felt bad for him, but the reminder of Sirius being locked up in Azkaban stopped that in its tracks.

"Why? Why did you leave my son with Petunia?" Lily asked, sounding calm and collected, but James knew better. One look at her expressive emerald eyes told a whole different story to those who knew her. Conflicting emotions passed through her eyes, almost faster than he could see. She was angry. She felt betrayed, and sorrowful even when it came to why he was left with Petunia. James could tell not all of her anger was truly directed at the Headmaster, even if that's who she was showing it to. She was upset and angry that she couldn't have been there for Harry. That she left him. James knew, because he was feeling the same way.

Albus didn't know how to respond. As much as he loathed it, leaving Harry with Petunia had been his only choice. The blood wards had kept Death Eaters and reporters alike out for years. Harry wouldn't have been safe anywhere else. The Flamels were constantly moving to keep the Stone and themselves safe. There wouldn't be one place for Harry to consider 'home' and the blood wards would have been obsolete otherwise. Carefully choosing his wording, Albus addressed the Potters "I am truly sorry he had to grow up with Petunia. If there had been another way to keep him safe you know I would have chosen it. The blood wards let your protection of him live on, and stopped those trying to get to him. I know there have been a number of Death Eaters that have tried and failed to get through those wards. I am sorry Lily, James. There simply wasn't another option at the time."

In a pained voice, James replied "There was Albus. You should have gotten Sirius a trial. The blood wards would have worked because my mother was a Black. You know he loves Harry as if he were his own son. There are so many ways that Sirius would have been better to raise Petunia that I can't even count. I don't care what you do, but fix it Albus. Get Sirius's name cleared. Get him out of Azkaban."

Albus knew James was right. He was responsible for making sure everyone got a trial, but he didn't ever check with Sirius. Instead he let the guilt and sorrow he was feeling at the Potter's deaths to let him ignore his duty. Not only that, but Lily and James were right. While Harry was safe behind the blood wards, Petunia is the last person he should have left Harry with. Was it worth it? Harry growing up safe, but not necessarily happy, verses growing up happy, but not necessarily safe? Would he have made a different decision with the perspective he has now? Albus wasn't sure, but he knew he had to make things up to all of the Potter's as best as he could. Right now, taking them to see their son and contacting the head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones, would be a major step in the right direction.

"You have my apologies, both of you. I will do everything in my power to make sure Sirius goes free. You have every right to be angry beyond reason, and I can only thank you for not hexing me."

"Don't speak so soon old man," Lily interrupted. "For now, we just want to see Harry. Unless you want to get hexed, you should find Remus and get things in motion for a trial for Sirius." With a bit of amusement at the fact she could make the old headmaster nervous, she added, "I very well may hold off on hexing you if things are better in the morning. If not, I haven't used the Bat Boogey Hex in a while. I might need a warm up."

Recognizing the teasing, and the fact that it meant Lily would eventually forgive him for his mistakes, the tell-tale twinkle started to come back to his blue eyes. "Of course Lily. Harry is in the hospital wing. Would you like me to take you there, or simply fore-warn our Medi-Witch so she does not faint upon seeing you both once more?"

With a smirk, James responded for them both "Well I'm not sure we should give a warning Albus. Everyone needs a good shock now and then."

The twinkle in his eyes now full blown and mischievous as Albus said "Very well, however, I fear I should at least write a note so that she doesn't throw you out of the Hospital Wing upon waking up again."

~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~

"C'mon Lily, you know that was fun!"

After arriving at the hospital wing, Madam Pompfrey had immediately hurried out of her office to come see who was there. When she saw James and Lily, said Medi-Witch proceeded to go pale and mumble incoherently, that is, until James said in a rather joyful voice "Hi Poppy! Long time no see!" to which the woman fainted. After about 15 minutes she woke up, and after regaining a bit of color in her face, she immediately barraged them with questions, to which Lily rolled her eyes at James determination to scare the poor woman to death and simply handed her Albus's note.

After recovering somewhat from shock, both Potter's were promptly attacked with hugs, and led to Harry's bedside. Both admired their son for a few moments, trying to catalogue every detail about him, attempting to ascertain everything they possibly could simply from his appearance. Both noticed that he was a near replica of James at the age of eleven, albeit smaller and skinnier. His lightning bolt scar (which they were informed was from the night of the attack) stood out against his pale face and the crisp white sheets of the hospital bed. After asking Madam Pompfrey about his medical state (stable, but magically exhausted and unlikely to wake up for a few days), James transfigured one of the waiting chairs into a comfortable couch. Both were anxious to hear about their son, and proceeded to fire questions at the resident Medi-Witch to learn all that they could. After a few questions, they managed to get at least a small picture of the person Harry had become in their 10 year absence. They learned that he had been sorted into Gryffindor (both beamed with pride), and managed to be the youngest seeker in a century (to which James let out a loud 'whoop!' and looked ecstatic). The elder Potters also learned that Harry was a decent student, but not, at least from what Poppy Pompfrey knew, particularly focused upon his studies.

Shortly after telling James and Lily what she knew, Madam Pompfrey retreated to her office to let the Potters rest and spend time together. They were now laying on the couch, snuggled into one another, both focusing their eyes upon Harry.

"James, I'm not going to admit to taking joy in shocking the woman that is treating our son."

"So you think it was funny, you just don't want to admit it."

"Say, James, do you think that could be Ron Weasley over there?" Lily asked, looking at the boy lying a couple beds away from Harry. He had bright red hair, and many freckles. Part of his head was bandaged in gauze, and Lily noticed there were some pain relief and sleeping potions on his bedside table. Truth be told, she was trying to change the subject in order to not admit to finding the shocking of such a stern Medi-Witch funny, but she was also curious, as the boy fit the description of the one who had accompanied their son to try to save the Philosopher's Stone.

"I know what you're trying to do Lils, but yes, I think that's Ronald Weasley." James responded.

In almost a whisper, Lily said "They're so young. Both of them."

"I know hun, I know. They were so brave though. All three of them. To go up against Voldemort, or at least be willing to at their age. I know I was pranking people and exploring the castle, and you were studying and making friends. Neither of us were trying to stop crazy murdering psycho wraiths that were possessing our teacher."

"I just can't imagine how hard he must have had it. He grew up with Tuney, James. You know what she was like to me. I can't imagine what his life must have been like. I think I'm happy that she just didn't stop him from going to Hogwarts and that he's reasonably healthy. I don't want to even think about it, not really. I'm not sure if I can handle finding out how badly she's treated him. She may be awful but she's my sister, and I love her. I can forgive her for all the things she's done to me, but once I know what she's done to Harry, I know I won't be able to. It scares me. Losing her. After losing so many in the war. I know the war is over, but this would officially mean the end of our relationship. No more pretending to be polite in public, or even informing each other of life events. She was my best friend before Hogwarts, before meeting our biological parents."

James sighed. He knew how Lily felt about her sister, even if he didn't quite understand why. He supposed it might be like if Sirius or Remus ever changed into a hateful, jealous, bitter person. He would still love them, and he would miss his old brother, but he wouldn't be able to let go completely. Not really, not unless they did something unforgivable (at which point James forcefully redirected his thoughts, not willing to become angry to the point of irrationality when Lily needed him). "I know honey, I know." He said, while wiping away her tears and pulling her closer to him, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry he had to go through it, but you know we have to know. We're his parents, and we need to know what he's been through in order to help him. I'm sorry about Petunia. I know how close you girls were before you started Hogwarts. Imagine your young sister and the woman she is now as two different people though. I know it's the only way I'm coping when it comes to the rat."

Smiling sadly, Lily lifted her face off his chest and looked at him. "Sirius will be out soon. You know now that Dumbledore knows the truth he won't let him suffer any longer than absolutely necessary. Even if the rat is dead, and he was responsible for those murders, you know we can get him out on the fact that he was illegally imprisoned without a trial for so long. We can see if your old family barrister is still around and hire him to help Sirius. If I remember right, he could tear the Wizengamont to pieces if given a chance and walk out convincing the reporters of the absolute necessity of his actions."

Sighing, James nodded in agreement, not knowing what else to say at the time. Both lapsed into silence, thinking of them mess that their world had become since that fateful Halloween night. Exhausted, they lay thinking about everything that needed doing, until they fell asleep on one another, needing the support and comfort that came from the physical contact.

 _Next time on OSAL:_

 _Ron and Hermione meet the Potter's, and an old friend stops by._


	5. 5- Meetings- Part 1

**Disclaimer: The amazing wizarding world of Harry Potter sadly does not belong to me, but to Joanna Kathleen Rowling and all her brilliance.**

The first thing Ron was aware of was his headache. By headache however, he meant that it felt as if someone had stabbed him, twisted the knife about, and then shoved in a bit deeper before forgetting to remove said knife. The second thing, was a vial of something being pressed to his lips, before the pain eased and he was able to form coherent thoughts. Finally opening his eyes, he saw Madam Pompfrey standing beside his bed, depositing the empty vial of miracle potion back on the table. Turning to look at him, she said

"You can have more of that in 4 hours or so, it should be getting rid of the concussion you received when you decided to save the world last night. I already fixed the slight skull fracture you had, but I needed to wait until you were awake to work on the concussion. Don't be surprised if Miss Granger shows up soon. I had to threaten her with detentions with both Snape and Filch to make her go back to her dormitory after the events of last night."

While Ron dearly wanted to argue on the 'saving the world' point, and how there was no other option, he quickly decided he would rather be able to have visitors and not endure an unending lecture for that decision, so he simply replied with a quick "Yes ma'am".

Hearing the response, and deeming it acceptable, Madam Pompfrey spun on her heels and headed towards her office. Just before entering, she informed him "If you so happen to look for Mr. Potter, he is on the bed behind the curtain over there," pointing to a closed off bed across the wing, "his visitors are who they appear to be, so please, don't do anything drastic Mr. Weasley."

With those confusing, albeit intriguing words, she walked into her office and firmly shut the door. Not a moment later, Hermione burst into the hospital wing, hair more frazzled than usual, and eyes darting wildly about the room. Seeing Ron awake, she darted to his bed and quickly engulfed him in a bone breaking hug. It was a moment before Ron realized that she was crying. While befuddled, he attempted to rub her back soothingly, hoping that she would cease crying. When Hermione finally pulled away, she soundly slapped him on the arm (to his relief it wasn't his head) and said "Ronald Weasley don't you dare scare me like that again! I was scared to death and wasn't even allowed to stay the night to make sure you were alright!"

Shrugging sheepishly while rubbing his now sore arm, Ron replied "Sorry 'Mione. I'll be more careful in the future, hopefully we won't end up in this kind of thing again though."

Hermione merely snorted at him, before saying "Honestly Ronald. This was our first year. We are 11. With how much danger Harry seems to attract I suspect this won't be the last time we find ourselves in a dangerous position while we are friends with him. For goodness sakes, trolls, three headed dogs, possessed professors, devils snare, jinxed brooms, a dragon, You-Know-Who's wraith killing unicorns while we are on detention, and a killer chess set. We still have six more years of school left. I highly doubt this will be the last crazy situation we find ourselves in. It just logically doesn't sound possible."

Ron sighed; " 'Mione, I know. However, I don't know about you, but I'm sticking by Harry. However inconvenient it is to my health he needs us. From what little he accidentally let slip about his childhood we know he's never really had someone there for him before. Plus, you saw how the school turned on him, even my own brother's, when all those points are lost. What if something like that happens again? I can't and won't let him go through that by himself. It would destroy him."

Hermione smiled, before saying "I never give you enough credit Ron. You're right, he needs us, and I'm not going to abandon him, not for anything, not ever. You both were my first friends, and I think you also qualify as family after this, and family sticks together. We will be his family for him."

Ron opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a soft voice quite clearly said "Thank you". Whipping around, both children's mouths dropped open at the sight that was before them.

~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~

Lily jumped up as a large bang echoed around the Hospital Wing. Turning slightly and looking up at her husband from her spot on his chest, she saw that he was in a similar state. Looking quite befuddled at what awoke him, and being unable to see properly without his glasses on, James was blinking rapidly to clear the remainder of the sleep from his eyes while glancing around. Chuckling softly at his reaction, Lily reached over to her son's bedside table to retrieve her husband's glasses, and gently put them on his face.

With a quiet "Thanks Lil's", James sat up and properly looked around trying to figure out what woke them both. Glancing at Harry, James saw that he was still asleep. With a soft smile directed towards his son, James stood and pulled aside the curtains sectioning them from the rest of the Hospital wing. Looking around, James saw the redhead who was assumed to be Ron Weasley a couple beds down engulfed in a hug with a sobbing brunette. Motioning to Lily for her to join him, he returned to watching the pair. Curious, Lily came up to his side and leaned into his warm, hard chest, reveling in the feeling of comfort and content she was able to receive from it. She quickly spotted the brunette, and was about to go help comfort her when the red-head was soundly slapped as her voice suddenly rang out "Ronald Weasley don't you dare scare me like that again! I was scared to death and wasn't even allowed to stay the night to make sure you were alright!"

James winced in sympathy for the young man, rubbing his arm as if he was the one slapped, while Lily chuckled slightly. While both felt bad for eaves-dropping, they also knew that they needed to let them finish before introducing themselves, as well as both parents being honestly curious as to any information they can gain on Harry and his friends.

The now confirmed Ron said "Sorry 'Mione. I'll be more careful in the future, hopefully we won't end up in this kind of thing again though."

James chuckled slightly recognizing the ploy to avoid being slapped again, while Lily nodded fervently in agreement to Ron's desire to never end up in such a situation again. She did not want that for them in the first place, it happening again was beyond undesirable to her.

Seeing the suspected and mostly confirmed Hermione snort and say "Honestly Ronald. This was our first year. We are 11. With how much danger Harry seems to attract I suspect this won't be the last time we find ourselves in a dangerous position while we are friends with him. For goodness sakes, trolls, three headed dogs, possessed professors, devils snare, jinxed brooms, a dragon, You-Know-Who's wraith killing unicorns while we are on detention, and a killer chess set. We still have six more years of school left. I highly doubt this will be the last crazy situation we find ourselves in. It just logically doesn't sound possible."

This had both Lily and James paling, eyes widening, and choking on their breath as they heard about all of the dangerous situations their son and his friends had gotten into, while feverishly hoped that it all had been an exaggeration of extreme proportions. The thought that Harry had already been in so many dangerous situations, before he even finished his first year at school and both were unable to be there for any of this or protect him throughout felt like a stab to the chest. Any residual hope was dashed away as Ron replied " 'Mione, I know. However, I don't know about you, but I'm sticking by Harry. However inconvenient it is to my health he needs us. From what little he accidentally let slip about his childhood we know he's never really had someone there for him before. Plus, you saw how the school turned on him, even my own brother's, when all those points are lost. What if something like that happens again? I can't and won't let him go through that by himself. It would destroy him."

Both parents had tears in their eyes and warmth in their hearts as they witnessed the devotion Harry's friend already had to him after only a year of knowing him, even if they were saddened by how lonely their boy had been. All these feelings were simply compounded upon hearing Hermione's response of "I never give you enough credit Ron. You're right, he needs us, and I'm not going to abandon him, not for anything, not ever. You both were my first friends, and I think you also qualify as family after this, and family sticks together. We will be his family for him."

With tears in her eyes, Lily moved towards them and said "Thank you."

Both whipped around, and gaped at her. Laughing slightly as James came around her and put an arm around her waist, she continued talking "You have no idea how much it means to us that you are so close to Harry and care for him so much. I can see that no one warned you what happened however."

Still in shock, both children simply shook their heads. Now James turn to find humor in the unique situation, he chuckled before saying "Well let me introduce us then. My name is James Potter and the lovely lady currently allowing me to hold her is my wife, Lily Potter."

Hermione seemed to get her nerve back first, timidly replying "Um, Mr. Potter, no offence, but how are you here? It's not possible to bring someone back from the dead."

James cringed at being addressed as Mr. Potter, opening his mouth to reply however, Ron slowly said "Well 'Mione I'm not sure how they are here, but just before you came in Madam Pompfrey told me that they are who they say they are."

Smiling brightly, Lily nodded. "It's a very long and complicated story of how we are here, but we are here and we are here to stay." James, feeling the need to speak up, said "Also, please, both of you, call us James and Lily. I feel like I'm hearing Minnie yelling at me whenever I hear Mr. Potter. Either that or I look around for my father. So please don't scare me by calling me Mr. Potter," James finished with a shudder.

Hesitantly, Hermione inquired "Minnie?"

Rolling her eyes, Lily responded because James was too busy laughing. "He means Professor McGonagall, Hermione. This joker and his friends decided to start calling her that in their third year to see how far they could push her and how long it would take before they would stop giving them detentions for calling her that."

Ron quickly joined James in his laughter, although he was a bit in awe of the man for his guts at going up against McGonagall. Hermione looked shocked and somewhat angry at the lack of respect for one of her favorite teachers. Opening her mouth to no doubt exclaim how wrong this was, she was cut off from her response by the Hospital wing doors once again slamming open and a hoarse voice croaking out "Prongs!"

 _Next up: Some things from Dumbledores and a Marauder's perspective, as well as the response to what just happened._

 _ **AN: I apologize for how long this update took. I will most likely be updating more frequently now, but I'm not making promises because I would rather not let anyone who is truly enjoying this down. I do however promise to get the next update within a week for everyone.**_


	6. 6- Meetings- Part 2

**Disclaimer: The wonderful amazing (and many other positive adjectives) wizarding world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and her fabulousness.**

 _ **AN: So here's the next chapter. A little sooner than I thought it would be up to be honest. Thank you for the reviews everyone!**_

 _ **-I apologize for any mistakes you might catch. I know how annoying they can be. However, I don't have a beta right now, most likely I will just come back through and fix them after I get to a certain unnamed point in the plot.**_

 _ **-This will NOT be a Hermione/Ron pairing. Don't get me wrong, I love Ron, but I feel there's a lot of people better suited for her than him. Let me know who you would like to see Ron with though, or even who you desperately don't want him to be with. I already have plans for most characters, I am stuck on Ron though.**_

 _The previous night:_

After Lily and James departed from his office, Albus resolved to get as much done as possible before sleep claimed him for the night. The first thing he needed to do was solve the puzzle of Sirius' trial. It did not make sense that he would not proclaim his innocence of at the least betraying his chosen family. Albus quickly resolved to write a note to Amelia Bones, who was head of the DMLE now, and one of his favorite previous students. She always stood for justice and what was right, no matter the price such a position might bring. He knew he could trust her to sort things out, and it had the added bonus of bypassing Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. He was fairly sure that Lucius Malfoy was starting to influence the Minister, considering the drastic decrease of owls asking for advice, and the many appearances that Malfoy was making at the Ministry lately. Nodding to himself about the chosen course of action, Albus pulled some parchment and a quill and ink in front of him, and decided to pen the note.

 _Dear Madam Bones,_

 _First and foremost I would like to offer a belated congratulations on your promotion to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was a much earned promotion on your part, and I know you will, and have been doing it justice._

 _Next, let me explain my situation. I have uncovered some crucial evidence regarding Sirius Black's trial. I was pondering over how such was not revealed at his trial, considering that all known high-ranking death-eaters were given Veritiserum in order to get as much information as possible, even if all information was not able to be uncovered (given some of the vows they had taken). I was wondering if you could possibly send me the transcripts of his trial as well as the result of the inspection of his wand after arrest. If it helps, I am asking in my capacity as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont. If it matters, I am asking as an old professor to a favored student for discretion and quick help on this matter._

 _I hope to hear from you soon, and thank you for all of your help._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

While not perfect, the letter managed to get the point across, and gracefully portrayed the urgency of the matter. Knowing he needed as much help to free Sirius as possible, Albus decided to pen a letter to his long-time friend and confidante Alastor Moody.

 _My friend Alastor,_

 _I am in need of your help old friend. Some things have happened and I'm afraid we have ended ourselves up in quite the situation. I need you to recall your memories of when your previous protégé, Sirius Black, was arrested as well as his trial._

 _It would be greatly appreciated if you could come to Hogwarts tomorrow, perhaps nine in the morning? I have some long due explanations and information, as well as simply needing your help out of a somewhat tricky situation. Please be as discreet as possible._

 _Your ever grateful friend,_

 _Albus_

Relaxing slightly in knowing he has at the very least two dependable people to help him quickly, and hopefully somewhat quietly fix some of this mess, Albus determines to do what little more he can that night before getting some rest, and sends the letters off with his own personal eagle owl.

"Mipsy?" he calls out. A few seconds later there is the tell-tale crack of apparition as the Head Hogwarts House-Elf appears in front of him.

"What can Mipsy be doing for Master Albus sir?"

Smiling fondly and the elf, he says "Would you have some elves set up some quest quarters for me? The same wing is fine, they all know each other. We will be needing four rooms, two of which will be needed for two married couples, and the other two for a single person each. Then would you like to have some hot chocolate with me before I retire to bed?"

Nodding, Mipsy says "Mipsy will do sir. I shall put them behind the portrait of the potions master on the second floor. Mipsy will have hot chocolate with Master Sir if Master Sir will eat, for Mipsy know he has not ate since breakfast this morning because he missed lunch to check on the deathly obstacle course on the third floor and then skipped dinner to fly to the Ministry on a broom of all things, and hasn't even touched Master Sirs lemon drops yesterday, Mipsy knows Master Sir, Mipsy counted with her magic when she came."

Feeling touched by the elf's concern for him, he quickly complies with her demands. Popping out, Mipsy appears a few minutes later with a veritable feast. Resolving to go to bed as soon as the elf was satisfied, he quickly dug in and asked the elf about her day, whilst continuing to eat in order to avoid being scolded like child and being made to feel like one again.

The next morning Albus entered his office to find two very impatient birds waiting to deposit their letters. Quickly retrieving said letters from the owl's legs, he gave them each a treat for their obvious annoyance with his untimely manner. Opening the letter that looked to be from Alastor first, judging by the beady eye stare from the owl, he quickly read the short missive.

 _Albus,_

 _I'll be by at 9, but you better have a good reasoning for this. I'm training my new protégé, and thanks to this, I'm going to have to leave her in the hands of the imbeciles that call themselves Senior Aurors today. The only one that isn't a total bungler is Shacklebolt, so you better be hoping he's not on assignment today._

(Here Albus paused to give a slight chuckle. Not being a complete imbecile was a high compliment indeed from Alastor)

 _What is going on? All I know in regards to Black is that his conviction was quick and quiet, and then he was in Azkaban. I wasn't there when he was arrested, and I missed his trial dealing with the whole Crouch problem at the time, and he was denied any visitors in Azkaban so I was unable to find out how he managed to hide such a secret from me. What did you find?_

 _I'll be by at nine, and I expect some explanations,_

 _Alastor_

Albus becomes rather disturbed at reading this note. He knows that Alastor would not have missed Sirius's trial. More than likely he would have made them re-schedule Crouch's arrest than miss finding out how he did not see a dark wizard right under his nose, especially in his very own protégé. Feeling slightly disturbed by this discovery, Albus turns to the next note. Finding that it is from Amelia, he opens and begins to read,

 _Dear Albus,_

 _Thank you for informing me of this. I looked into all of the records, but all that was there was the file saying he was arrested, and what he was charged with. While it could be a simple filing error, the fact that you sent me the letter stating that there was new evidence compounded by the fact that this happened within the last week of Crouch being the Head of the DMLE, and of Bagnold's reign as Minister, means there may be something more going on._

 _I'll continue to look for information, and let you know as soon as I have something. Don't worry, I'll keep this quiet, something is going on and I intend to get to the bottom of it._

 _Give my love to Susan,_

 _Amelia_

Quickly writing and sending a thank you note off, Albus turns to his next problem. Lily and James will want a status update, but before he can even do that, he needs to get in contact with Remus. He would rather avoid James breaking his nose and Lily hexing him before lunch even hits. Sighing, his thought turned to Remus himself. One of the most talented and kind-hearted students he has ever had, declared an outcast for something beyond his control, something that was not his choice. While Albus tried to stop it, after the war the Wizengamont passed several laws greatly restricting the remaining rights werewolves had in the wizarding society. Many restricted what they could buy and where they could go, as well as who they could contact with. Albus managed to stop some of the more extreme opinionated laws from going through, but nonetheless, he did not manage to stop them all. He tried to help Remus as much as he could, but the man was stubborn and would not accept help unless in the most dire of circumstances, and even then, only barely enough to help himself. Remus could not even get in contact with Harry because of the wards surrounding Privet Drive and Petunias attitude herself. Her treatment of Harry made it such that the blood wards twisted, so that they not only protected Harry from those meaning him harm, but also from other witches and wizards in general, meaning Remus couldn't get close to Harry without being Dumbledore himself, or being keyed into the wards by Harry's own desires to see him. Pulling his thoughts back into focus, Albus decides that his best bet would be to check where Remus was last living several months back, even though it is unlikely he is still there, due to moving around in order to keep his secret just that, a secret.

Resolving to try either way, Albus floo-calls Remus previous abode. After a short and disappointing conversation with the land-lady which informs him that Remus is no longer there and she is another person who is glad to see the back of him because of her small mind, he sits back in his chair trying to figure out how to contact him. An owl is possible, but it would take far too long, and he really does not wish to make a visit to the hospital wing due to the Potter's displeasure of the situation. Feeling like a fool, he realizes that Fawkes might be willing to take a note to Remus, and it would be virtually instantaneous due to the bird's flashing capabilities. Turning to look the phoenix's perch, Albus is slightly befuddled when he discovers Fawkes is not there. Mind frantically trying to find other ways, Albus closes his eyes to help concentrate. However, a few seconds later, he hears a whooshing sound accompanied by an increase of temperature in the room. Looking up, he is surprised to find Remus Lupin himself, looking utterly bemused and somehow concerned at the same time, with Fawkes trilling proudly on said man's shoulder.

~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~

Groaning and slightly opening his eyes, Remus awoke on the shabby and torn couch of the apartment he was currently staying in. While it was technically an apartment, in reality it was only a crowded room that provided the necessities. In one corner of the room he had an oven, stove, and small refrigerator, along with a small, rickety wooden table and one chair. In another area of the room he had a toilet, sink, and bathtub. The next wall had the couch he was currently sleeping on, with a small window centered on the wall itself, with privacy blinds that were missing several panels, severely defeating the "privacy" part of the blinds. The last wall had the door to the apartment itself, along with some tiny, broken cupboards and another sink for dishwashing. While not particularly grand, it was all Remus had been able to afford with no questions asked, and on short notice. While in no way considered nice, it provided his basic necessities and allowed him to be able to afford some food and second-hand clothes.

Opening his eyes the rest of the way, Remus remembered what brought him to by lying on his couch/pseudo bed at noon on a weekday. He had recently had a minimum wage job helping a tutoring center, however, no matter how helpful he was, a couple of months in a row of calling off for 3 or 4 days at a time with a "family emergency" lead to him being unceremoniously fired. That being several weeks previously, Remus was running low on money, and would soon be unable to afford even this room. He knew if he didn't find a job in the next couple of days, he would have to go to Albus for help. Although the wizard felt like a father figure to him, and would be more than happy to help, he was loathe to do it unless he was in the direst of straits, which he wasn't quite there yet, no matter what Albus himself would say about the situation. Now sitting, Remus leans forwards, his elbows on his knees and head now in his hands. He knew there were many things he would like to have in his life, but at the moment he needed to be content with just surviving and having a home. After that fateful Halloween night 10 years ago, he lost most everything to him in one blow. Lily and James died, Sirius became a traitor (which no matter how he saw the facts, was hard to convince himself of), and Peter died. As if losing all his brothers and sisters in all but blood within 24 hours of each other was not bad enough, he also lost his cub. Harry. While him and his, ahem, furry little problem argued on most things, Harry was not one of them. Both agreed that he counted as their own cub and needed to be protected. While Remus was rightly confused on why Moony did not see Harry as a small and tasty snack, he would always be grateful. However, being cut off from Harry in all ways hurt more than even James and Lily's death at times. No matter how many times Remus wrote to him, he never received a reply, and knew it highly unlikely that would happen when he made sure to include at least one story about James, if not Lily as well, in each letter. Especially when he was living with Petunia and he knew that even if she had gotten past her bitterness towards Lily, she knew practically nothing of James and their Hogwarts years. Resolving to try, even if on the off chance Harry received them and was not allowed to respond, he quickly penned a note and gave it to his small tawny owl, Hermes. After opening the window to let his owl out, he watches the bird fly away once more in a most likely futile attempt to contact Harry.

Once Hermes is out of sight Remus closes the window, and flops onto his couch, eyes closed trying to figure out where to go from here. After wallowing for a minute, Remus quickly stands, a new determination to find another job igniting in him, only to fall back down in what some might describe as a comical fashion when Fawkes flashes right in front of his face at that very moment. His fall must have been truly amusing, because the bird gives a musical laugh before perching himself on Remus' knee. Scowling at the bird only manages to make Fawkes trill his amusement once more. Sighing, Remus asks "Why are you here Fawkes? Did Albus send you?"

Not expecting to actually understand the reply, Remus was rather surprised when he was able to decipher the chirps to mean "Your cub needs you friend, and Albus as well."

Putting aside his confusion at actually being able to understand, Remus quickly replies "What has happened? Where am I needed? When am I needed?"

Fawkes does the equivalent of a sigh somehow (which Remus resolves to figure out at some point) and his musical chirps respond with "Albus forgot he wasn't invincible and made some foolish mistakes, again."

Slightly amused at Fawkes attitude towards Albus, he allows the bird to perch on his shoulder, although his concern for Harry is growing quickly, especially at the unanswered questions. 'Well,' he thought with a sigh 'I suppose Albus had to learn to be cryptic somewhere.' A moment later, Fawkes sings in a comforting manner and then quickly flashes them to, what Remus recognized on arrival, as the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts. He should know, James, Peter, Sirius, and himself often got dragged there by McGonagall whenever a particularly outrageous and wide-spread prank would occur. More often than not, it would result in him simply telling them not to do _that_ again, before offering them all lemon drops and asking about the magic behind said prank when McGonagall had left.

Seeing Albus surprised at their sudden appearance, Remus inwardly cheers at the occurrence, before wishing he could be sharing this with his friends, and not only by himself. Fawkes chooses that moment to sing comfortingly, in what Remus understands as "All will be well my friend, do not despair".

Nodding slightly Remus replies to the bird, saying "Thank you Fawkes. I do not see how, but thank you." However this interaction caused Albus to visibly start, eyebrows almost off his face in surprise.

"Remus, you can understand Fawkes?"

Reason for being there temporarily put aside at the question, Remus says in a slightly befuddled tone "Yes, although I'm not quite sure why it happened. All I know is after he laughed at me for falling over when he appeared earlier, I was able to understand him."

Albus frowns in concentration, trying to think of an explanation for the current situation. While not a problem, it was peculiar, and should not be possible, slowly he says "I am not quite sure how you came to understand him Remus. As far as I was aware only those who have a familiar bond should be able to understand him, and I already do."

To both men's surprise, Fawkes gives an indignant trill and flies to his perch, where he trills in a manner that says "I choose who understands me, it has nothing to do with a familiar bond. Only those I love, and trust, and need me can hear me. I'm much older than Albus, and know what I'm doing, thank you very much."

Remus chokes up slightly after hearing what made it so he could understand the phoenix. Discreetly wiping away his tears while Albus pointedly doesn't look, he decides to change the subject. "I think we best get to the reason I'm here Albus."

Nodding in agreement, Albus decides to start from the very beginning. "Well, you know how James and Lily decided they needed to go into hiding?" Receiving a quick, albeit confused, nod, he continues "Voldemort wasn't just coming after them, he was going after Harry. Being parents, they naturally looked for a way to protect, if not themselves, then at the very least Harry from Voldemort. Eventually, after months of diligent searching, they came across a ritual that, if they died in a very specific way, it would protect Harry from the one trying to harm their family and leave a lingering protection should Harry ever encounter said person again. However, both agreed that if it was possible, they wanted there to be a way to be there for him if such a thing ever happened again. Although I will not tell you how, I will tell you they eventually found a way to alter the ritual so that if Harry ever came up against Voldemort again after they were gone, they would be able to come back for him, to protect him."

Remus can feel his breath quicken. Part of him recognizes that Dumbledore wouldn't just tell him this randomly, and there has to be a reason behind it. However, the larger portion refused to even entertain the notions of what this might mean before the words came out of Albus's mouth itself. "Albus, why are you telling me this? Voldemort's gone, he can't come after my cub. Harry's safe."

Knowing Remus understands, but needs to hear it and learn of how Voldemort's downfall was only temporary as it appears, Albus continues talking "I was holding and protecting an important magical artifact in the school while Gringott's was unable to protect it completely. Unfortunately, Voldemort isn't completely gone and he came after said object. Harry and his friends found out, and went to try to protect it after I was foolishly led away from the castle this night. Unfortunately this means Harry came up against Voldemort. He is currently lying in the Hospital Wing, recovering from the fight. Thankfully the ritual worked however."

Somehow Remus manages to croak out "What do you mean, the ritual worked?"

His blue eyes soft to match his tone, Albus gently says "They're back Remus. They are in the Hospital Wing watching over Harry."

Remus sat frozen for several minutes, his mind going into overdrive. While he was deliriously happy to have James and Lily back, it also meant his cub was hurt. His cub, his Harry went up against Voldemort all by himself, and only managed to survive because of an archaic, altered ritual. His cub was currently lying in the hospital wing, in who knows what shape. So he was scared. However, he was mainly in disbelief. There was just no way… James and Lily. He had to know. So without a second thought to the man and phoenix in front of him Remus turned and bolted from the office, moving faster than he ever had, just concentrating on the fact that he _had_ to know if it was true. He vaguely hears Dumbledore say that he will be along shortly, but mostly disregards this in his impatient, harried run.

~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~

Smiling slightly at Remus's reaction, Albus leans back into his chair and quickly casts a tempus charm, to find that it was currently 8:47 and Alastor would be by soon. Popping a lemon drop into his mouth, he begins to think about the situation at hand. Knowing that Sirius is at least innocent of the betrayal of the Potters, Albus can't help but feel an acute sense of guilt for at the very least not making sure that he was present at Sirius's trial, no matter what he had been currently dealing with. His innocence of betrayal may not have lowered his sentence for killing Peter and 12 muggles, but at the very least it would have meant he might not currently be in the high-security wing of Azkaban itself. However, the very lack of evidence seems to point to the possibility of Sirius being completely innocent. That in and of itself brought a problem, because it would mean that Peter was possibly still alive and apparently cleverer than they all knew. Either way they went about it, getting Sirius out of Azkaban and declared innocent would have to be a quick and quiet affair if they wanted to stop the Minister from getting too involved and possibly condemning Sirius at the behest of Lucius Malfoy or in a ridiculous attempt to protect his reputations. Lost in his thoughts, Albus is slightly startled by a knock on his office door, but quickly disguises it and says "Come in"

To his surprise, it is not Alastor, or even Nicholas and Pernelle that arrive, but Amelia Bones.

"Hello, Albus. I thought it prudent that I came myself after some more investigating I did this morning."

Slightly concerned, he says "Please, sit down and tell me what you've learned. Lemon Drop?"

Smiling inwardly and how much the Headmaster has not changed, she says "No thank you Albus. I looked around this morning and from what I could find, Sirius did not received a trial or even have his wand checked after his arrest. The wand was simply locked up and Sirius thrown in Azkaban the next day. Even with there being no records, I checked with the Auror's that I trust that were working at the time. A few of them remembered arresting Sirius, but no one knew anything about a trial. All were equally in the dark and just assumed he had private questioning and sentencing with the Minister, Crouch, and another member of the arresting team, but none of them were there."

Deeply concerned at learning this, Albus says "I was worried that something like this may have happened when I realized neither myself or Alastor could remember even the details of there being a trial when both of us, especially Alastor himself, would not have missed it, even if it was just so we could find out when or why Sirius turned."

Hearing this, Amelia becomes even more furious than she was at the situation. While not overtly close to Sirius while he was training to become an Auror, she worked with him several times and greatly respected the young man. To know that there is even the possibility that Sirius was innocent and that someone felt the need to completely circumvent the entire justice system had her blood boiling. While it was a crazy time back then, even the most notorious and well known Death-Eater's, such as Bellatrix Lestrange, received a trial in front of the Wizengamont. Even if Sirius was guilty, (which she suspected it was possible he was not, considering Albus suddenly looking into it), his trial could at the very least led to some very valuable information and arrests.

"Albus we need to fix this somehow. We are going to have to back Cornelius into a corner with no escape if we want to even think about getting Sirius a trial. What evidence do you have, and don't pretend like you don't because we both know that was not a random, polite curiosity you decided to sate."

"Ahh, yes. The evidence. I hope you will forgive me Amelia, but Alastor is due anytime, and I would much prefer to tell the both of you at the same time rather than repeating or starting over the explanation you are both due."

As if summoned, the floo flared and Alastor himself stepped out. "Amelia, Albus" he greeted, bowing his head to each in turn "Someone want to explain what's going on?"

After Alastor had seated himself, Albus slowly explains what James and Lily did to protect themselves, as well as what happened the previous night. He then explains how Sirius was not their secret keeper, but Peter Pettigrew.

"Oh Merlin. Albus are you telling me that Sirius may be innocent of everything?" Amelia inquires, her face pale after hearing those spoken revelations.

Alastor cuts in to proclaim, "Albus, we need to talk to the Potter's. That's the only way could possibly sort this all out. With their testimony, Amelia, you and I could get a private trial with Veritiserum so that it doesn't reach Fudge until absolutely necessary. Without their testimony, it doesn't mean a thing."

"I wholeheartedly agree. I believe the Potter's are still in the Hospital Wing keeping watch over young Harry. Let's go and see them. I highly doubt they would consent to be parted from him before he wakes up."

Both Alastor and Amelia nod in agreement, and the trio leaves the office at a brisk pace, eager to get the answers to the perplexing and disturbing situation they have found themselves in.

~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~

His heart thundering Remus runs the last few feet to the Hospital Wing, and slams the doors open, not even caring for the tirade he knows (from multiple past experiences) that it will bring from Madam Pompfrey. Eyes casting bout wildly, he spies a head of messy black hair that he never thought he would see again. Stunned, it's all he can do to hoarsely whisper "Prongs".

If he wasn't sure if it was the truth before, the hazel eyes locked onto his own misty amber and a cheeky voice resonated with "My my Moony, you've gotten old!"

Letting out a choked laugh, Remus launched himself at his long-time friend, nearly knocking him over with his hug. Unable to hold it in, Remus starts quietly crying into his friends shoulder. He vaguely notices two children moving over to a different bed in the hospital wing to visit someone lying on another bed. Slowly getting ahold of himself, Remus lets go of James, only to then pull Lily into a bone-crushing hug and his tears start anew.

James begins rubbing his back, hoping to bring some comfort to his friend. While to him it feels like it's only been a few days since they last saw Remus, he knows for his friend it has been ten years, and from the shape of his clothes and Remus himself, James can tell that the years have not been kind to his friend and brother. "It's okay Moony, we're not going anywhere this time. I'm sorry we had to leave in the first place." Remus pulls back from his hug with Lily, eyes still watery and says "You better not James. I'm not sure if I could survive that again." Remus refuses to add that, if it wasn't for the fact he knew he could see Harry again someday and that he might need him then, he may have not survived such a blow in the first place.

"How bad was it mate?" James keeps his tone slightly curious, but inside he's screaming. He can already tell his friend has gone through more than anyone has the right to, and it is tearing him apart. They all had their lives torn apart that Halloween night, but James felt partially responsible for dying and leaving his son and friends alone. Harry had to grow up with the Dursley's, Remus was left all alone, and Sirius was in Azkaban. No matter how much he tried to stop thinking about it, everything kept coming back to him and felt like a knife to the heart every time. James hoped his friend hadn't suffered too much while he wasn't there for him, but he could already tell that it was a fruitless hope.

Remus paused, obviously considering how to answer. James knew he wouldn't say everything, but he wouldn't lie either. "It was fairly awful. I wasn't allowed to see Sirius and find out what happened, because there's something off about the whole situation. The worst part was not being able to see or even get in contact with Harry. Moony hasn't been very happy about that situation."

Reading in-between the lines, James was able to get a sense of what Remus was still hiding. At the very least Moony not being "very happy" about Harry being absent from their lives meant that ever since that Halloween he had probably been fairly tearing Remus apart as completely as he could. James also got the sense that even though some part of Remus couldn't see how Sirius betrayed them, not being able to see him, if only to punch his face, was probably another factor in the situation. James knew him and Sirius had been sharing a flat before that Halloween, so that means that Remus probably lost his home at the same time because he would have been unable to pay the rent all by himself.

Running his hand through the messy black hair that had taken residence upon his head, James gave his friend a look that fairly said 'I know exactly how much you're hiding, and I don't appreciate it'. Remus smile sheepishly in reply to the look and meekly stated, "It doesn't matter how bad things were. You both are back now and that's what matters."

Giving up the topic for now, and recognizing the fact that Remus was unlikely to give up any more information without the combined needling of James, Sirius and Lily, he decided to move onto a new topic. "Remus, about Sirius… You need to know something. We changed secret keepers a few days before Halloween. Sirius knew that people knew he was secret keeper, and none of us thought that Peter would be a target, so Sirius suggested that we swap and not inform anyone."

Lily laid a hand on her husband's arm, trying to calm him. "Obviously we made a mistake. We shouldn't have switched, and we should have told at least you and Albus about the switch. At the time we thought we were being clever."

Remus pales a bit, but simply sits and nods. "As much as I hate to say it, that makes more sense. Sirius was too clever to not cover the tracks if he had actually betrayed you. This means that Peter set him up though. I don't know much about what happened that day, but I do know that Peter's last words were apparently "James and Lily, how could you Sirius!" It makes sense he would at least try to bring down Sirius with him."

James starts cursing colorfully, and Lily is too upset to even give him a slight smack like she usually would. "We have to find a way to get him out of Azkaban. I don't understand how he was blamed for our betrayal at his trial. It makes no sense."

Remus nods "We will find a way Prongs. Even if we have to break him out and hide him ourselves."

All three sit in a contemplative silence, trying to piece together the puzzle. Lily is the one to finally break the silence "Well we aren't going to figure this all out right now, and we know Albus was trying to find some more information so plans of action will have to wait. In the meantime, Remus, do you want to see Harry? He's still unconscious, and will be for at least the next 24 hours, but you can at least see him, and meet his two friends."

Inexplicably feeling nervous, Remus nods, so Lily pulls him up into a standing position, and slowly guides him over to the two children he noticed before and the bed they were both sitting next to. Ignoring the other children for now, Remus focuses on the person occupying the bed. In front of him was Harry, his cub. Remus could feel Moony rejoicing inside of him when he gently takes Harry's hand into his own, as well as a fierce desire to protect him and hurt the one who caused this, even if he can't punch Voldemort into submission, no matter the appeal such an image might bring. After discreetly wiping away a tear, he finally turns to the two children that are sitting on the other side of the bed and introduces himself. "Hello, I'm Remus Lupin. I'm Harry's honorary uncle."

Ron and Hermione glance between each other, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. A quick nod ascertains their plan of action. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger and this is Ronald Weasley. You don't happen to be the Uncle Harry lives with, do you?"

Slightly perplexed, Remus answers "Nice to meet you. I'm not the one he lives with, that would probably Vernon, I think his name was. It's Lily's sister's husband. Is there a reason you ask?"

Ron and Hermione share a glance that does nothing to calm Remus. It's a look he has seen many time, one he has exchanged with James and Sirius and even Peter before. It is the one that says they are unsure of how much to share but know they have to say something.

Hesitantly, Hermione starts talking "Well, we know that Harry isn't very… fond of his Aunt and Uncle. I was just surprised over the amount of concern you showed if you were the one he sometimes talks about."

James, Lily, and Remus all exchanged looks. This did not sound good. The kids were obviously hiding something. Seeing that they were obviously found out, Ron decided to volunteer more information in hopes of stalling them until at least Harry was up to talking to them himself. He knew from many different times just how persistent parents were when you tried to hide something from them. "Well, you see, when he does talk about them he always declares that there's a lack of love there. Not that he talks about them much, mind you. I know he wasn't particularly expecting a present from them at Christmas" or at all, Ron thinks to himself before continuing, "and that they left Harry at King's Cross without helping him to find the platform. My mum had to show him how to get on."

To Ron's relief, before the adults could inquire further and make them give up things they wouldn't say without Harry's permission, Fred, George, and Percy all walked into the Hospital Wing, talking rather loudly.

"Ronniekins!"

"How are you? McGonagall told us"

"That you decided to save the"

"World, with the help of your ickle"

"Firstie friends, and didn't even"

"Invite us to help!"

The twin speak causes Remus and Lily to roll their eyes, while James just grins like a loon at the two twins. He has a feeling that he will like these two.

Indignantly, Ron declares "Well it's not like we exactly had a choice. McGonagall didn't believe us, you two would just take the mickey out of us, and you, Percy, would tell us off and that it was none of our business. What else were we supposed to do?"

To Ron's astonishment, all three brothers look ashamed about the rather accurate assessment of what their reactions would have been. Percy is the one who finally speaks up. "You might be right about that Ron, but we are your older brothers. It's our job to look after you. I like to think I would have at least gone and tried to inform McGonagall about what was happening."

"While we might have taken the mickey,"

"We still would have followed you"

"To make sure that you were"

"Safe. You may be a Firstie"

"But you're still our brother"

"And we don't want to see you hurt" the twins finish saying together.

Ron was rather astonished. Sure, he knows his brother's love him, but it's not like they talk about it. He usually just assumes because he's the youngest, no one wants to be around him. Ginny's different because she's a girl, she's a novelty in the family and everything she does is cute. Ron always thought that he was pretty much alone. Bill and Charlie had each other, Percy had his books and rules, the twins had each other, and Ginny could have anyone's attention she wanted. Clearing his throat, he says "Thanks guys. I'll keep that in mind."

All three nod decisively back at him. Fred and George decide to lighten the mood, it has gotten much to doom and gloom for them.

"Well Ron, our esteemed"

"Perfect prefect of a brother"

"Percy, decided to try and cheer"

"You up, so he kidnapped"

"Scabbers from his nap and"

"Decided to sneak him"

"Into the Hospital Wing."

This actually makes Percy blush, as he pulls out a mostly sleeping Scabbers. "Well at least I thought of something to do that might actually help, unlike all of your jokes" he retorted. The twins decided to take the mature route, and simply stuck their tongues out at him. Ron gingerly accepts his pet, being careful to not wake him up.

James had been observing and enjoying the banter between the siblings, when he feels Remus go stiff next to him. Concerned, he looks over at his friend, silently asking him with his eyes what is wrong. In response, his friend simply pales and shakily points a finger at Ron. Confused, James decides to humor him. Looking over, he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary, until his eyes alight upon the rat sitting in Ron's hand. 'No,' he thinks 'there's no way that it could be Peter. What are the chances of Harry's best friend having a rat that is actually the person that betrayed them?' However, after looking more closely, James spots a small silver scar on the rat's forehead, from a particularly rough full moon. There is no chance that this is a coincidence. Not thinking, James screams "PETER!" at the top of his lungs, causing the rat to wake up completely, and, upon noticing its surroundings, give a squeal of fright and jump from Ron's hands and take off running at the sight of his old friends.

Without thinking, both James and Remus jump up in synchronization and start shooting spells, trying to either stop him from escaping or put him in his human form so he can't run as fast and is a bigger target. The rat manages to get through the hospital wing doors, putting both in a panic that it will escape and any hope of freeing Sirius, or even just revenge, with it. Both are oblivious to Lily trying to calm down the Weasley's and Hermione, or, for that matter, simply anything but the rat. Almost to a secret passageway, both are desperate to stop the rat from getting through, James gets a lucky shot in, turning Peter back into his human form, and Remus manages to cast a well-timed "Incarcerous", binding him with ropes. James and Remus advance menacingly upon his whimpering form.

However both look up when they hear someone say incredulously, "Pettigrew?" and see the stunned faces of Albus Dumbledore, Amelia Bones, and Alastor Moody. This appearance only causes Peter to whimper more and look terrified for what is to come.

 _ **AN: So that's the end of this chapter folks. It's almost twice the size of a normal chapter, so hopefully this tides you over until the next. It'll probably be about two weeks before you get the next one, I have some planning to do for this and then it'll be up. If I can, it will be up sooner, but I'm not going to make a promise and let you all down. Again, thank you so much for the reviews! You guys are amazing!**_


	7. 7- Actions

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to this broke college student, but to J.K. Rowling, the queen of literature._

 _ **A/N: So this chapter is up a little sooner than I thought it would be, credit for that goes to my sister who decided she likes this fic and nagged me every day this week to write. Without further ado, here's the chapter!**_

 _Previously on OSAL:_

 _What are the chances of Harry's best friend having a rat that is actually the person that betrayed them?' However, after looking more closely, James spots a small silver scar on the rat's forehead, from a particularly rough full moon. There is no chance that this is a coincidence. Not thinking, James screams "PETER!" at the top of his lungs, causing the rat to wake up completely, and, upon noticing its surroundings, give a squeal of fright and jump from Ron's hands and take off running at the sight of his old friends._

 _Without thinking, both James and Remus jump up in synchronization and start shooting spells, trying to either stop him from escaping or put him in his human form so he can't run as fast and is a bigger target. The rat manages to get through the hospital wing doors, putting both in a panic that it will escape and any hope of freeing Sirius, or even just revenge, with it. Both are oblivious to Lily trying to calm down the Weasley's and Hermione, or, for that matter, simply anything but the rat. Almost to a secret passageway, both are desperate to stop the rat from getting through, James gets a lucky shot in, turning Peter back into his human form, and Remus manages to cast a well-timed "Incarcerous", binding him with ropes. James and Remus advance menacingly upon his whimpering form._

 _However both look up when they hear someone say incredulously, "Pettigrew?" and see the stunned faces of Albus Dumbledore, Amelia Bones, and Alastor Moody. This appearance only causes Peter to whimper more and look terrified for what is to come._

 **Currently:**

Albus, although stunned, quickly recovers and stuns Pettigrew before things get to out of hand, or the man decides to take his chances with escape again. Whilst doing this, Albus notices Alastor disarming James. Although not in complete agreement with this course of action, he can see James shaking with anger and does understand that it was most likely best to stop said man from doing something he would regret, or that would stop them from capturing Pettigrew and from getting Sirius free.

Shortly after this all occurs, Poppy bursts out of her office. Remus becomes rather amused at this. Between himself bursting into the Hospital Wing, and then Ron's siblings creating a rather rambunctious atmosphere, he had expected a lecture at all the noise much sooner than this. Thankfully, before she can go into her full tirade, Albus cuts her off "Poppy please send a message to Severus. Tell him that I am in need of Veritiserum and whatever else he may deem useful in questioning someone as soon as possible. We shall all be in my office shortly."

At first glance, it looks as if Poppy will protest at this instruction, however she manages to take a glance at the situation, spotting both Alastor and Amelia pointing their wands at a man she thought long dead 'Although,' she thinks to herself 'that does not seem to mean much these days' Peter Pettigrew, as well as Remus's tight grip on James to keep him from physically attacking the man. Visibly confused but now understanding some of the seriousness of the situation, she nods sharply in confirmation, and heads over to her office in order to floo Severus and deliver the requested message.

Seeing his instructions being followed, Albus quickly turns to Lily next. "My dear, would you be willing to shut the doors and look after the children? I will send James back to you shortly, but I believe explanations are needed and I am afraid I must take James with me."

Although clearly unhappy with the separation to her husband, Lily nods and gives both Remus and James a look, asking through her eyes to stay safe and look after one another. Although James is still caught up in his rage, Remus is able to give a quick nod to calm her, before she reluctantly moves back into the Hospital Wing, and closes the doors behind her with a soft "thud".

Ignoring his own potent rage at the rat, Remus turns James so he can look him in the eyes. "Prongs I know how mad you are at that waste of a human life right now, but you need to calm down. I may be a werewolf but my strength is not unbeatable and I can only hold you back from attacking him for so long. Believe me, I want to attack him as well, but if we don't let Madam Bones and Alastor do their jobs first, Sirius will be stuck in Azkaban and we will have no proof that he is innocent."

Although visibly struggling with the decision, James stops trying to attack Peter. This causes Remus to breathe a sigh of relief. It was taking everything he had to stop James from attacking the rat. Not because of his physical strength, but because of his own desire to attack Peter as well. While Voldemort may have delivered the killing blow, it was Peter that made all of this happen. He was the spy that sent many Order of the Phoenix members to their deaths, and then betrayed their brotherhood and caused Lily and James to die, and Sirius to be framed for something he would never do. He was the reason that Remus was left all alone, that Remus wasn't ever able to see his cub without fear of being thrown into Azkaban or executed himself. Thankfully used to having to manage his emotions more than others because of his rather, ahem, furry other half, he was able to at least think enough to realize that if they killed Peter before he confessed to anything, Sirius would be stuck in Azkaban and James might be sent to Azkaban as well for killing 'An upstanding member of society, that lead a short and tragic life'. Remus hadn't realized he had spaced out until he lets out a low snarl at these thoughts and causes James to poke him to snap him out of it and look at him with concern. Shaking his head, Remus almost laughs at this. While he was still extremely furious with the rat, just seeing James do something that is so him, was enough to make him smile. It had been years since he saw James or even Sirius do that to make sure he was okay. They had picked up the habit in second year after they found out he was a werewolf as a way to help him stay in the moment and make sure that he wasn't being affected by his other half too much. Focusing back in, Remus realized that Albus had been talking while he was indulging in a combined pity party and raging rant in the privacy of his own mind.

"… proceed to my office. We should meet Severus there, I would not be surprised if he beats us. James, if you could direct the way? I would rather we not be seen by students if at all possible, and so if you could put your sneaking skill to good use it would be appreciated. Remus, if you could levitate our unexpected guest, and Alastor, I know how you enjoy tying up Death Eater's, so if you could. James I shall accompany you in the front in case we do run into students, and Amelia, we could use your wand in the back on the off-chance anything goes wrong."

All nodded sharply. Alastor proceeded to cast the spell to restrain Peter, causing thick ropes to spring out of his wand and tie themselves tightly from his shoulders to his toes, making him look like a mummy that had been badly wrapped. The ropes themselves are so tight that they start to cut off the blood flow in Pettigrew, evidenced by his paling skin and the bits of his stomach that stick out awkwardly in-between the extremely tight ropes. James and Remus both smile grimly at the sight, but Albus shoots Alastor a look, causing him to slightly lessen the tightness of the ropes, so he didn't die from the lack of blood flow before they could question him. Albus motions James forward, to which he pulls aside the tapestry on the wall they were currently in front of and with a bow and grand gesture of his hand, motions them into the passageway.

Remus quickly levitates Peter and follows, taking grim amusement from letting Peter's head hit the corner of the wall, to which Albus shoots him a faint look of disapproval from his position in the front of the herd, while James turns around to look at him with a grin, amusement and gratitude shining in his eyes. Remus lets out an "Oops" to which Alastor merely snorts and Amelia discreetly rolls her eyes. All of them know it was no accident, evidenced by the fact that Peter's head is currently scraping against the stone wall of the passageway as they move along, causing a small trickle of blood to move down his face.

James quickly moves them all forward, stopping at the end of each passageway to check for students, before motioning them all forward and quickly darting into the nearest passageway. Before too long has passed, they all find themselves emerging in front of the stone Gargoyle to the Headmaster's office. With a sharp spoken "Acid Pops" from Albus, the Gargoyle moves aside and the company ascends the stairs to the office itself.

Albus opens the door and motions them all in. Once inside, Remus drops the levitation charm and lets the rat drop to the floor with a loud thud. Looking around, they notice a man in black calmly sitting in one of the chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk, turn around to acknowledge them. He nods sharply to Albus, Amelia, and Alastor in greeting, but his face turns into a sneer of disgust when he spots Remus, and then quickly pales in disbelief when he spies both James and Peter, although the disgust does not leave his face. "Albus what is going on? Don't even think of giving me a cryptic answer right now if you want to use this Veritiserum."

Gesturing to the chairs for the others to sit, Albus moves behind his desk to sit himself. Alastor moves Pettigrew onto a chair as well, and with a flick of his wand, causes the ropes to tie the traitor to the chair. So as not to upset Severus further, Albus quickly launches into an explanation. "It would be a waste of time to go into all of the details at this moment, but you must know at least the basics. James and Lily found a way to overcome the bands of death if only very specific circumstances presented themselves, which they did. Upon them coming back, it was discovered Pettigrew was the spy, not Sirius. Upon chance, which I still have not had explained to myself, they found Pettigrew in the castle just a short while ago. We need to question the man in order to get an innocent one out of Azkaban and condemn the right one."

Severus nodded sharply, and handed over the Veritiserum, as well as another two potions. "I brought the Draught of Living Death and it's antidote in case more, lasting, restraints are needed. I shall depart back to my classroom, I have yet to finish grading all of the dunderheads exams as of yet."

Before anyone could respond to this statement, Severus swept out of the office, his robes billowing behind him. James let out a snort, to which Remus elbowed him. Albus raised an eyebrow at them both, silently requesting an explanation as to their amusement. It was James who elaborated for the old headmaster "You see, when we were in school, we called him a greasy dungeon bat. It seems he has lived up to expectations with that exit he just gave."

Albus decided to mostly ignore this, knowing it was not the time to break down old school grudges at the moment, they had much more important things to concentrate on. It could wait until later. Just as he made this decision, Mipsy popped into his office.

"Master Headmaster Sir, Mipsy needs to tell you that the Flamels are here. Mipsy sent them to their rooms when Mipsy realized that Master Albus Headmaster Sir was not available. The fiery female asked me to tell you these exact words "Albus we expect to see our daughter as soon as you get your rear end out of the fire it sounds like you've put yourself into" Mipsy thought that Flamels should not be so rude to Master Headmaster Sir, but the fiery one insisted."

Chuckling slightly, Albus addressed the elf. "Mipsy please tell them I am indeed dealing with a situation that has come up, and as soon as it is dealt with I will send their daughter and son-in-law in their direction. It should not take more than an hour or two."

Mipsy nodded, "Mipsy will do Master Headmaster Sir. Let Mipsy know if you's be needing her Sir." Shortly after this proclamation, the elf popped out to deliver the message.

Now that that was sorted, Albus turned to the situation at hand. "I believe, that with who we have here, we can do the official questioning and declaration of guilt, and only need to leave the sentencing to the full Wizengamont. We have the Chief Warlock, an arresting officer, the head of the DMLE, and a witness. If we document this properly, we can ascertain Pettigrew's guilt and then get Sirius out of Azkaban. Remus, if you could act as scribe for the duration, it would be most helpful. James, we will have to prove your identity with Veritiserum in order for you to participate. Amelia, you and Alastor should do the questioning, and I will oversee the process itself."

All nodded in agreement of the plan, although James was distinctly unhappy about having to take the Veritiserum, even if he knew it was necessary. He leaned back in his chair, opening his mouth, to which Alastor poured the required three drops of Veritiserum down his throat. Closing his mouth and sitting up, it only took a moment for his eyes to glaze over as a tell-tale sign that the potion was working. Amelia started the brief questioning to ascertain his identity with absoluteness.

"What is your name?"

"James Charlus Potter" was the monotone response.

"What is your wife's name?"

"Lily Marie Potter nee' Evans"

"Is your wife alive as well?"

"Yes"

"Can you describe how?"

"We came up with a way to protect our son should we ever leave him. If the one to kill us were to come after him, we would be able to come back and protect him under very specific circumstances." At this even the Veritiserum couldn't keep the pain in his voice from leaking through.

Amelia nodded in satisfaction at the questioning, and stopped asking questions, allowing the potion to slowly wear off.

James looks to them all and asks "So, am I officially me again?"

Alastor snorts "Yes you are lad, and I'll thank you in advance for not going and dying on me again. We have a distinct lack of semi-competent Aurors without you and Black around."

"Ah, I missed you to Mad-Eye!" James retorts cheekily.

Before either can truly get into it, Amelia clears her throat, and nods to Pettigrew, determinedly ignoring the twinkling in Albus' eyes or the amusement on Remus's face at the interaction.

"Alastor if you could administer the Veritiserum to the suspect, and then I shall proceed to wake him up"

Moody nods, and roughly tilts Pettigrew's head back and tips the potion down his throat, before gesturing to Amelia to wake him up so they both could question him. With a flick of her wand, Amelia wakes Pettigrew up. Alastor starts the questioning this time around.

"What is your full name?"

"Peter Cecil Pettigrew"

"What house were you sorted into at Hogwarts?"

"Gryffindor"

"Are you a Death-Eater?"

"Yes"

"When did you become one?"

"My sixth year of Hogwarts"

This answer caused both James and Remus to gasp sharply. Both remembered that year. Peter had started distancing himself from them. When confronted by the rest of the Marauder's, he said he had a girlfriend that he had been sneaking out to see because they didn't like her. All had just assumed it was an annoying Hufflepuff that stalked them, and accepted his answer after they teased him endlessly about it. Looking back on it, the whole explanation had a billion different holes in it, but none of them thought Peter was capable of pulling something over on them, let alone lying at such a scale and pulling off said lie.

Ignoring James and Remus's reactions, Amelia took over the questioning.

"Were you a spy for Voldemort?"

"Yes"

"Were you Secret-Keeper for the Potter's when they went into hiding?"

"Yes"

"How long did you wait to give the secret to your master?"

"Two hours, until I was able to get away"

"Is Sirius Black innocent of the crimes he is said to have committed?"

"Yes"

"Tell us what happened on Halloween night and the day after" was Moody's input to the questioning.

With a monotone voice, Peter responded "I had been informed that my master would be going after the Potter's that night. He had waited in order to kill as many opposition with my information as he could, in case James and Sirius had told someone else of the prank they decided to play on the Dark Lord. When he left to kill the Potter's, I cleaned out the place I was staying. I knew Sirius would come after me once he knew what happened. I found out that my master had fallen, and knew I was not safe from even my fellow Death Eater's. I fled, but Sirius chased me and found me the next morning. I knew that everyone believed Sirius to be the Secret-Keeper, so I yelled 'James and Lily Sirius, how could you?' before casting a blasting hex at the gas line behind me. I threw up a shield which had the unfortunate side-effect of saving Sirius from the explosion, before cutting off my own finger to fake my death and transformed into my Animagus form of a rat and running into the sewers. I waited until Sirius was arrested and the area clear before coming out. I wandered into the fields near the town he confronted me in. I was picked up by a boy, and allowed myself to be carried and taken care of. I was planning on simply killing him and his family until I found that they were on the side of the light and I could be well-fed and possibly keep spying so when my master came back I would still have useful information for him."

All felt sick at this proclamation. To know he didn't do all of this out of fear, but because he had a desire to was almost too much for them to handle, most of all James and Remus. All felt disgusted, but Amelia recognized that the questioning needed to go on if they were to get as much information as possible out of Pettigrew. Steeling herself she continued the questioning.

"What other deaths are you responsible for?"

"The Bones, Prewitts, McKinnon's, and McDonalds"

With a shaky breath at the mention of her brother and his family, Amelia motioned to Alastor to stun Pettigrew again. After he had done so, she turned to Albus. "I believe we have ascertained without a doubt Pettigrew's guilt. All of us, including Remus, need to sign the transcript. After I get back to the Ministry I can fill out the official paperwork and start a quiet motion for a trial. The trial itself will be a formality, but the public venue will help get Sirius Black's innocence declared and believed. Alastor if you could restrain Pettigrew appropriately. I believe you still carry a pair of magical suppression cuffs with you?" At his quick nod, she continued, "Very well. Then we shall not be needing the other potions. Please give our thanks to the Potions Master."

With Amelia seemingly wrapping up all of the business, James was getting nervous so he cut in "What about Sirius. You know he's innocent, can you get him out now?"

Amelia shot a nervous glance to Alastor before responding. "James we can and will get him out, but I need you to prepare yourself. He was in a high security wing, Dementor's patrolling the area continuously except for the short time in which food is delivered. It is quite possible that he isn't completely there anymore. Most don't survive with their sanity for more than a month in that area of Azkaban."

This causes both Marauder's to pale. James can't stop thinking about how it could be all his fault. They were too arrogant about their plan, assuming that nothing bad could come of it. That they had all of their bases covered, that it was fool-proof. James didn't even think to leave anything behind in his will. It did not seem necessary at the time, especially with the switch being new. It would have required him coming out of hiding and possibly risking his family so Sirius had placated him that it did not matter, Wormtail would never betray them, and if the sky fell and he did then Sirius was more than able to catch Wormtail and make sure that they both received a trial with Veritiserum. Now Sirius might not even be Sirius anymore, and it was his fault. His best friend had to survive over a decade in the worst place in the worst place on earth.

Remus meanwhile was finding another way to blame himself. In his mind, if he had just not worried about going to Azkaban or even his life, he could have saved Sirius from that fate. No matter the fact that his hands were tied as even Albus didn't believe any declaration of innocence because of the supposed facts, and that was the only person he could have gotten help from. No, no matter the facts of the situation itself, Remus couldn't deny the guilt pooling in his stomach. While his logical brain was ever present, it did not seem to be making headway with convincing his heart.

Alastor in a rare display of kindness declared "Oh cheer up you two. This is Black we are talking about. The man is annoyingly resilient. I doubt the Dementor's managed to rattle his head too much."

This caused them both to give a weak smile each, both Marauder's regaining a bit of hope for the situation.

Remus was the one to speak up next "When are you going to get him Amelia?"

"I was planning on sending Alastor to get him after we secure Pettigrew at the Ministry while I coerced the Minister into signing an official pardon."

James immediately jumped at this. "I want to be there when you go and get him."

Surprisingly, it was not Amelia or Alastor that responded to this, but Remus "James you can't go. Sirius thinks you dead, if he saw you he would think he had actually gone mad. I'll go with Alastor. I'm sorry but until we know he's okay, we can't tell Padfoot about you and Lily yet. Besides, Lily needs you here. You know her parents are in the castle, and you both need to be close by in case Harry wakes up."

Although he knew Remus was right, James still became rather annoyed about it all. He wanted to see his best friend and apologize for causing all this. However, he knew he could not leave Lily alone in the castle and he would never abandon her, no matter how much he wanted to be there for Sirius. Grumbling in agreement and nodding his head to signify that he knew Remus was right but not that he was happy about it, James acquiesced.

"However, I'll be there for him Prongs. I would not leave him alone and confused after all of this." Remus shot a sharp look at Alastor, making sure that he knew this statement was not up for debate. He would be coming with. This caused James to give a smirk. Far too many people underestimated Remus based on his appearance and the soft, calming energy he seemed to put off. Most forgot that he was a fully trained wizard that surpassed both James and Lily in dueling capabilities, and was an equal match for Sirius.

Amelia looked ready to protest about allowing a civilian into the high-security wing of Azkaban, but Alastor shot her a look, obviously remembering what James was from the Order missions he had been on with Remus.

"Either way we best get a move on lad. Amelia I'll take this one with me to get Black out. When you take Pettigrew in keep it quiet. Post only Shacklebolt and Tonks on his cell door, and lock down access. Those are the only two I trust to not completely bungle it up or be in someone's pocket. I'll bring Black to the Hospital Wing here. I doubt we could get him to stay in Mungo's, and when he hears about the Potter's you know he would throw a fit to see them. Plus, Poppy is the only one that seems to be able to successfully lecture him to stay still. I've seen that one too many times during the war after he was injured."

With a quick nod to the course of action, Amelia levitates Pettigrew and heads towards the Floo. With a shout of "DMLE Head office" and a flash of green flame, both disappear.

Moody stands and gestures to Remus. "Come on lad, we gotta take a walk past the wards to Apparate."

Remus quickly nods, and with a wave of goodbye to James and Albus, follows Moody's surprisingly brisk pace out of the office.

With a faint smile, Albus turns to James. "Well my boy, I believe it would be wise of you to collect your dear wife from the Hospital Wing and take her to see her parents. I believe neither of us wish to test the wrath of Pernelle Flamel if she does not see her daughter in the next little bit here."

James gives a half-smile to this. He knew Lily had gotten her famous fiery temper from her mother. "Alright Albus, but if Pernelle is mad, be aware I'm directing her ire towards you."

Eyes finally back at full twinkle, Albus says "Very well. I suspect I could get Mipsy to give me a fair warning in advance."

Now with a full blown grin on his face, James replies in a cheeky voice "You forget I knew Mipsy before you Albus. I'm sure I could convince her that you need some running in your life. It would be therapeutic."

This brings full blown laughter from the man. James energetically jumps out of his chair, and gives a quick wave of goodbye, heading to the Hospital Wing to see his wife, leaving Albus still laughing behind his desk.

~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~

Once past the wards, Alastor offered his arm out to Remus for Side-Along Apparation. Although disliking the method of travel, Remus knew he had no clue where they were going. With a grimace of distaste, he put his hand on Moody's forearm, only to experience the familiar, yet unpleasant sensation of being sucked through a tube. A moment later his senses were assaulted from the unfamiliar area. He could already feel the chill of the Dementor's seeping into his bones. The weather itself was stormy and cold, his threadbare robes already being soaked by the rain in the few seconds they had been standing there. Remus could smell the salt-water that was beating against the rocks of the island. In front of him stood a tall and imposing black tower. Someone had a hawk Patronus patrolling the base of the tower itself, opposed to the top of the tower, where you could not see where it ended from the perpetual swirl of Dementor's around the top. Every once in a while they would disappear into a hole in the top of the tower, only for them to reappear a few seconds later and the process repeat itself.

If Remus had to guess, that would be where the high-security wing was. His heart sunk seeing such a sight. He had faced Dementor's in battle before, but at the time he had a Patronus to protect him, as well as usually having other's to watch his back. Sirius had been up there the whole time with no help from anyone, no reprieve from the torturous conditions. Steeling himself for what he was about to see, Remus followed Mad-Eye who had already started moving towards the prison.

After a short walk, they reach the base of the prison. Alastor casts a Patronus, and Remus follows suit. Alastor nods a hello to the miserable looking guard inside the doors of the prison, and leans in and whispers something to him. A moment later the guard himself nods, and Alastor motions Remus forward and both move farther into the darkness. After a few moments of not being able to see anything, but sensing an upward climb, light seeps in and he can see cells. By the ragged conditions and obvious lack of sanity he can tell they are near the top. How that happened already Remus does not know, but wanting to get out as soon as possible, with Sirius in tow, he does not question it.

Remus follows Alastor for another few feet, before Alastor stops in front of a cell. The cell itself was covered in mold and water, with a small, broken cot in the corner of the cell itself. Sitting on the cot was a man with long, tangled, greasy black hair, and a ragged beard. His prison robes hank limply off of his body, torn in some places and obviously thin. The man himself was scrunched in to himself, bones showing through his skin, the skin itself covered in seemingly endless layers of dirt and grime. Remus gave a sharp inhale. There was no way this could be Sirius. Alastor must be mistaken. Remus managed to hold on to hope until Alastor banged sharply on the bars and said "Black, get up!"

Sirius looked up, his face gaunt and his eyes haunted. Remus had never seen him this bad before. Even after he escaped to the Potter's after his oh so gentle treatment by his family. Even after being held under the Cruciatus by his own mother after he refused to follow Voldemort did not give him that look in his eyes.

 _Warning: Slight POV change (normally I wouldn't say anything but this deserved it)_

Sirius started, hearing the banging on his cell door. While there was the occasional visit to someone in his wing, he had never had anyone come to see him. After he figured out he was not going to get a trial, he tried to talk to anyone he saw (that wasn't a Death Eater, mind you), and tell them of Pettigrew. It was his fault that Harry was in danger from the rat. He foolishly chased after Wormtail, believing that the rat could never get the better of him. The problem is now the rat was free and Harry could be in danger. If it meant Harry's safety, Sirius would gladly stay in here for the rest of his life. When he heard a gruff voice speaking, Sirius lifted his head. While he could not see who it was from the back of his cell, there was something familiar and nostalgic to the voice.

"Harry. Harry is in danger. Pettigrew is alive." He somehow managed to rasp out.

 _POV change back_

Remus's heart broke at hearing what his best friend said. Remus always knew that Sirius loved Harry as his own, they all did; but for the first thought he had when he knew someone was there for him was not to proclaim his own innocence but rather to try and keep Harry safe, was almost too much. Any doubts of his questionable sanity were temporarily gone. This was the Sirius he knew. The one that would protect his family and friends to his last breath, even if it meant that Sirius himself was the one to take the harm directed at his loved ones. Alastor seemed rather taken aback by what came out of Sirius mouth, so Remus took over for him.

"Padfoot, we know. Pettigrew," he spat the name, before continuing in a gentler tone, "was caught just a few hours ago. Harry is safe. We are here to get you out Sirius."

After a few, seemingly endless moments, Sirius said in a raspy voice "Moony, is it true? Is it really you?"

With tears in his eyes, Remus quickly said "Yah, Padfoot, it's me. I'm here."

Alastor rolled his eyes at their emotional responses, before quickly opening the cell door. "Well Black, are you coming? We don't have all day you know. I would rather get you out of here before we over-stay our welcome."

Sirius let out a disbelieving bark of laughter. "Mad-Eye, that's you? Finally decided to visit me, huh?"

Moody growled slightly before answering. "I didn't have much of a choice lad. Apparently you being my protégé meant I was at risk for helping you escape."

This made a grimace appear on Sirius face. "Well, it's good to know not too many things have changed then. Ministry is still full of just as many screw-ups."

Moody grunted in agreement, before moving forward to help Sirius up, getting impatient at the lack of action. "We can talk about what all has changed later. Right now I would rather get you out of this place."

"Yah, come on Padfoot. Poppy is anxiously awaiting your arrival." Remus cheekily added, hoping to lighten his friend's eyes a tad.

It did work slightly, although it brought a small flash of horror to Sirius face. "You're leaving me in Poppy's care?!" he exclaimed.

With a small laugh, Remus moved forward to help Alastor, and all three made their way out of the foreboding prison.

~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~

 _Back in the Hospital Wing:_

With a small sigh of discontent, and a last look at her husband, Lily backed up and firmly closed the Hospital Wing doors. Turning around, she was confronted by five very confused and concerned children. Grimacing inwardly, Lily prepared herself for the inquisition that was sure to follow.

Fred is the first one to say something. In a rather cheery voice, he breaks the silence. "Well, that was certainly unexpected."

Lily gives a grim snort of laughter at that. It was certainly one way to describe the situation.

Hermione is the next one to say something, cautiously asking "Mrs. Po-Lily, if you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

With a sigh, Lily sits down beside the children again and takes a moment to gather her thoughts. Unfortunately, she really can't tell them anything until it is sure that Sirius is free. If word were to spread, it is possible someone would try and impede the process, and that was the last thing they needed. Things were complicated and difficult enough without throwing another problem into the mix. Haltingly, she starts explaining to the confused children in front of her.

"I will tell you what I can, but I need you all to understand that I can't tell you everything yet, and that even what I tell you must not leave this room else the consequences could be very dire for an innocent man."

All nod at this, even if Percy's seems to be a tad more hesitant than the rest. "Alright then. What I can tell you is that Scabber's wasn't exactly a rat. He was an Animagus that James and I, knew, for a better word. We discovered that he framed someone very dear to us for a crime that our friend could not have committed. So when James saw the familiar rat, he may have not reacted in the calmest manner."

Watching the children carefully, Lily notes their reactions. Ron seems rather disgusted that his rat was actually a man, and Percy looks rather disgusted as well. Hermione looks like she is about to burst with un-answered questions, but is managing to hold them back at the moment. The twins seem to be speaking to each other with their eyes, which causes Lily to smile slightly. It reminds her of James, Sirius, and Remus when they try to work out a plan of action. The only question is who would start first, Hermione or the twins.

It turns out the twins are the first to talk. "So, what would you like to know" George starts, leaving Fred to finish with "about our Ickle Harrykins?"

Lily feels her whole face brighten. A moment later she starts shooting questions at them. "What's his favorite food? How did you all meet? When did you become friends? What are his grades like? What's his favorite subject? Is he a prankster like James? What other friends does he have? What's his favorite color? Is there anything he truly hates?"

With a laugh all start answering her questions. After a while she knows so much more about her son, her brain is practically reeling trying to soak up all of the information and remember it all. She sits for a moment in silence, allowing the children to talk amongst themselves after a very heart-felt "Thank you" to them. While she is contemplating all she learned, James walks back into the Hospital Wing. Immediately spinning around to face him, she gives him a concerned look. With a reassuring smile from him, she relaxes instantly and goes to give him a comforting hug. Although she does not know what exactly happened, she is aware that no matter what was said it would have hurt James hard.

With a nod of greeting to the kids, he then turns and pulls slightly away from his wife so that he can talk to her. "Lils, we have to go. Your parents are here and apparently your mom's temper is starting to show. We should go see them before you mom actually burns down Albus's office. As interesting as that may be, we should really prevent it."

Lily smiles at the accurate representation of her mother's temper. It was truly a sight to behold. She nods softly and turns to address the kids. "Thank you all so much. I'm sure we will be seeing you soon, but in the mean-time don't make too much trouble for Poppy, okay?"

The twins nod with a mischievous grin on their faces, Percy with a much more solemn nod and a serious expression on his face, whilst Ron and Hermione absently nod, still having been engrossed in a conversation. With a wave of goodbye, Lily grabs James hands and practically runs out of the Hospital Wing. After a few corridors, she slows, causing James to look at her worriedly. He told her where they were going shortly after she dragged him out of the Hospital Wing, so he knows it's not for lack of direction that she is currently slowing. After a moment she comes to a complete halt, causing James to turn and face her, making it easy to see the nervousness in her bright emerald eyes.

"James what if they don't change their minds about the stone? I mean, what if they just think that it will endanger everyone too much and decide that they just want to keep everyone safe even though they know we can take after ourselves and Harry, and that Petunia is still behind those wards I made, and that there really isn't any feasible way that they could really put us in danger. I mean, so few even know about our relation already, so it's not like they will deliberately seek us out right now. I mean what if I can't convince them to change their minds? We just got back and I can only think that it would absolutely break Harry's heart to meet them and lose them right away." When she finally pauses for a breath at this point, James grabs her hands and makes her look into his eyes. After a few moments of her heavily breathing, she grabs James in a tight hug and starts to slightly shake, not quite to tears yet but approaching it. Gently rubbing her back and holding her close, James responds.

"While we might not be able to completely change their decision I don't think you have to worry too much Lil's. They just got you back, and got a chance to get to know Harry. It would be like us deciding to leave Harry all alone right now because we might be a target for attacks when the wizarding world finds out we are alive. It won't happen. They know you need them right now. I won't say that it can't happen some point in the future, because you know your parents don't want to necessarily live forever. Yes, they may have elongated their lives but we both know that they have no desire to outlive you, Harry, or even Petunia. It will be alright Lil's, I promise."

With a shaky breath, Lily nods hesitantly into his chest, before pulling away slightly. James gently brushes the few tears on her face away before giving her a smile, and saying "Why don't we go talk to them? You know they are dying to see you right now."

Lily gives him a hesitant smile, before taking his hand back and continuing to lead the way. After a few more minutes, they reach a portrait of an old man brewing potions in what looks like Hogwarts's dungeons.

"Hello good sir and lady, how can I help you?" the portrait greets.

"Well my dear potions master, I believe our quarters are through you? May we pass?" Lily responds kindly.

With an enthusiastic nod of his head, the portrait says "Certainly. Although I'm afraid I have to insist you set the password. The other occupants refused, saying that another couple would come along and they could leave that to you. Please pick something creative, it makes things much more interesting when students try to guess the password."

James gives a smile. He likes this portrait. "How about 'Advivo'? It's a Latin variation of survive. I think it is fitting."

The portrait nods. "I like it. Congrats good sir. I shall let you both through." A moment later the painting swings open. They walk through, still holding hands. Before James can process what is happening, Lily's hand is ripped from his, as she is engulfed in a hug by her crying mother. A few seconds later, Nicholas appears and upon seeing Lily, tears start streaming down his face as well. He runs and joins them both. James simply smiles upon seeing the family reunited. A few seconds later, Nicholas arm shoots out and pulls James into the hug without any warning. They all fall to the floor, but none can seem to find it in them to care, simply happy to be basking in the warmth of the love of a family.

 _ **A/N: So this chapter was a little rough to get out, but I thought I would end it on a happy note. I'm not sure when the next one will be up, but it will be within a month. You will definitely have some more of Sirius, including his torture (from his perspective) at Poppy's hands. You will have James and Lily talking with her parents, and for those of you waiting, finally an explanation to that whole relationship and where Petunia comes into it all. Most likely another surprise as well. In the next couple of chapters we will probably start speeding up the timeline, so that one chapter isn't only part of a day. It's been important to get the information in there, but I think you guys probably want some action to.**_

 _ **Also, I thought you might like to know I am planning on continuing this through the end of the series. Deaths will in no way be the same as in canon. Each fic will probably be two school years before they are done, meaning that you will get the summer before 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **year-end of 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **year, and then third and fourth will be together, fifth and sixth, and then seventh will have its own.**_

 _ **Let me know if you have any questions, send me a message or write it in a review. If you have anything you really want to see (or not see) in it let me know. I make no promises, but I'll work in what I can. I have a basic plot line down, but somethings can be worked with or still need to be tweaked.**_

 _ **THANK YOU EVERYONE for all of your reviews, follows, and favorites. You are so amazing!**_


	8. 8- Madness

**Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not to padfootl0ve.**

 _ **AN: So, sorry this took so long to get out. August was kind of crazy between weddings, work, and starting school. Then I got sick and absolutely murdered with school and work again. I'm going to try to update at least once a month now that school has started, but, unfortunately I can't make any concrete promises beyond not going longer than two months between updates. Hopefully my amazing sister, ( . ), will nag me to write. She also agreed to be my beta, so I'm also hoping for some better chapters as well. If you want to check her out, she just started an amazing time-travel fic (with Fred and Hermione) called: A Marauder Hopeful and His Most Logical Friend. I may be slightly biased, but even so, I'm already hooked. I strongly recommend you give it a try. Well, enough with my rambling, and without further ado, here's the chapter!**_

 _With Remus and Sirius:_

Remus was currently wondering if it was acceptable to want to throw your best friend off of a cliff. Please do not misunderstand, Sirius is his brother and if anyone has a right to whine and complain it is the man who was wrongfully imprisoned for over a decade. That being said, the logic behind it does not really help when you are consistently listening to said friend complaining as he is strapped down to a hospital bed while Poppy Pompfrey bustles around him and force-feeds potions to him. Although, Sirius would not have to be strapped down if as soon as he saw Poppy he had not tried to bolt out of the Hospital Wing.

"Sirius if you quit complaining and let her do her job she will eventually undo the restraints."

"Moony!" he whined in response, "I don't want to be still right now! I want to actually move and do something."

Sighing in sympathy, but also slight aggravation, Remus says "I know Padfoot. I promise as soon as you have your strength back we can even go to Hogsmeade so you can flirt with Rosmerta. For now you need to rest."

Grumbling, Sirius eventually leans back against the pillows to let the Medi-Witch do her job. Both sit there in silence as Poppy finishes working. She shoots a stern look at Sirius when she is done, not having to actually tell him to rest and not strain himself. He simply shoots her a cheeky smile, only causing her to glare before she leaves his bed and closes the curtains before heading back to her office. Both men are lost in their own thoughts for several minutes before Remus speaks up.

"I'm sorry."

Completely confused, and not altogether sure he had hear correctly, Sirius simply says "What?"

Clearing his throat, Remus repeats himself. "I'm sorry Padfoot."

Confusion not clearing, but concern growing, Sirius addresses him "Whatever for Moony?"

"For not coming to see you. For not trying to do more to get you out or find out what happened."

Not sure if he can completely deal with Remus' insecurities already, Sirius sighs and tiredly rubs his face with his hand. "Moony I know if there's was more you could do, you would have. I had been expecting a visit for you to simply attempt to kill me. I knew when I did not see you they simply would not let you have access to me. How could I blame you for any of this? It was my own temper and rash decisions that caused it."

"Padfoot that shouldn't have mattered. The laws shouldn't have mattered. You were thrown in without a trial, why couldn't I bend the rules to find out what happened?"

Sirius looks slightly shocked at this. "Moony what are you talking about? What laws?"

This causes Remus to turn slightly red, looking mildly ashamed. He had never planned to let slip just how hard things had been for him. "Well, the new werewolf laws. It isn't a big deal Padfoot, just, well, slightly more restricting than it used to be. Nothing I can't handle."

However, this explanation only causes Sirius to grit his teeth. "What do you mean by 'slightly more restricting' Remus? The truth, this time please."

Remus merely mumbles under his breath, but thanks to his enhanced hearing from Padfoot, Sirius understands perfectly. "What do you mean more job restrictions? New rules about who you can be around?"

"Well, you know the name that Greyback gave to wolves during the war. They may have ever so slightly decided that he represents all of the werewolf population. I suppose they didn't want me to see you because they were afraid I would try to break you out. Which I suppose would have happened when I found out about your innocence. Didn't have to threaten Azkaban though…" Remus only daring to say the last part under his breath.

"Moony you complete and utter idiot. There's no reason that you should have risked Azkaban for me. Who would have watched over Harry and taught him the Marauder ways if that happened? There was no reason for both of us to be stuck in that dreadful place." Sirius says, shuddering slightly at the end. "Speaking of, where is Harry? Is he okay? What was he like growing up? Does he like Quidditch? Does he still look like a mini James? When can I meet him?"

All these questions simply cause Remus to pale in response. Casting a furtive look over at Harry's hospital bed, he begins to answer Sirius. However, Sirius catches the look. Slowly, and carefully, Sirius begins talking again. "Remus, why does it look like there is a mini-James in that bed? I know that hair anywhere, so unless James has miraculously de-aged and come back from the dead, that is my godson, which, I know it can't be because how could he have been hurt enough to warrant an unconscious state in the middle of the day before he managed to complete his first year at Hogwarts?"

This simply causes Remus to wince. This was not how he had been planning to tell Sirius things. He had wanted to allow him some rest, and then to slowly and carefully explain. Although, by the way Sirius was currently wobbling to his feet and trying to walk over to Harry, Remus knew he was not going to have such a chance. Quickly standing up, Remus helps Sirius across the Hospital Wing, knowing that there was nothing he could say to stop his friend's progress. In the process of doing so, Remus has to curse his luck as Poppy Pompfrey decides that that exact moment was perfect to come check on her patients. At first, she simply freezes when she sees the two men, with expressions similar to rebellious teenagers inching their way across _her_ hospital wing. This only lasts for a moment however, before her expression begins to resemble that of a dragon, reminding both Sirius and Remus why they always avoided annoying the terrifying Matron while they were at school. Picking up the pace, Remus deposits Sirius onto the bed beside Harry, before turning to hopefully appease the stern witch. Before he can say anything, however, said witch brings out her wand and casts several spells. The first two don't seem to do anything, however, the third causes a thin, silver strand to wrap itself around both Sirius and Remus' wrists, effectively binding them together.

It's all either of the men can do to simply stutter words of protests, looking from their wrists and back to the all too smug Medi-Witch. "Well," she begins, with a distinct tone of satisfaction in her voice, "if you decide to act like teenagers and disregard what I say, I will simply treat you as such."

"Poppy," Remus begins hesitantly, "do I really wish to know what those other two spells were?"

Looking like the cat that just caught the canary, she responds "Well, the first one was simply an advanced sticking charm to keep Black there on his bed. The second was simply a slight modification for the ending of the spell. Only when he realizes and truly believes he should have headed my advice will it disengage. Rather helpful for stubborn patients if I do say so myself."

This only causes Remus to splutter in response, unable to form a coherent response, until he remember a very key aspect of this punishment. "Poppy why on earth do I have to suffer with him? What was the point in chaining us together?"

"You mean besides the fact that you were actively helping him instead of making him lay back down?" she counters, one eyebrow arching in response.

Remus blushes slightly at this, causing Sirius to snicker in response.

"Why are you snickering young man? You are the one stuck to the bed, when the bathroom is twenty feet away."

This manages to stop Sirius from snickering, and to cast a forlorn look at the bathroom, obviously dreading when he needs to use it.

With a look of distinct satisfaction, Poppy begins to walk back to her office. As she goes, both hear her mumbling under her breath "Worse than when they were in school… I swear… Does maturity mean anything… Defying my orders… Serves them right…"

When she has finally shut herself back in the office, Sirius sobers and looks over at the bed next to his. Remus can only imagine how he's feeling right now. Disregarding the effects Azkaban had on his physical, and likely mental state, the first time he is seeing his godson is after over 10 years in the worst place on earth. Harry's pale frame lying against the stark white sheets can be doing nothing good to Sirius right now. After a few moments of thick silence, Sirius finally speaks. "Remus, tell me. What happened to him?"

Hesitantly, Remus begins speaking "Well, to start with some of your questions earlier… he ended up with the Dursley's. Lily's sister and her husband. I tried to get custody of him, but, after so many times I had a restraining order and they tightened laws to stop me from getting to him. I couldn't see him, without him initiating contact, unless I wanted a cell next to you. I tried though, I really did."

Even though Sirius wants to rant and rage at the fact that Harry was left with Lily's horse of a sister and walrus of a husband, he can't blame Remus, not when he tried so hard to watch over their pup. Sighing heavily, Sirius runs a hand down his face before talking again. "Moony I don't blame you. I can't blame you. That doesn't mean I don't want to go hunt someone down and blame them, but not you. That doesn't explain why Prongslet is laying passed out in the Hospital Wing though." Sirius finishes, with a pointed look in Remus' direction. Seeing Remus shuffle and look like he wants to run rather than explain, Sirius clears his throat and shifts his fierce gaze from Remus to Harry, and back again. Slowly, Remus starts talking.

"Well, erm, Padfoot, so you know how Harry is James and Lily's son? Well apparently he really rather lives up to that, because at least in his curiosity and rule-breaking. Apparently, well, Albus was asked to guard something rather valuable this year while better protections were arranged for it. But, well, Harry found out about it, and somehow found out someone was after it, and decided to take matters into his own hands apparently. Well, see, now, this is where things really get, well, erm, what I mean to say Padfoot is…" Remus takes a deep breath and visibly steels himself to continue talking. Then, in almost lightning speed, he rushes out "See it turns out really it was Voldemort processing a teacher in order to get the Philosopher's Stone, but Harry figured it out and went with his friends to try and head him off, but didn't quite beat him there, so Harry was attacked and saved the stone but nearly died and has been asleep and recovering for a while."

All of this information causes Sirius to instantly pale. To think that his little pup, his godson, who he loved as if he was his own son, had faced Voldemort and barely lived and he was not able to help him, or comfort him, or just be there to save him afterwards tore him apart. He knew leaving Harry with Hagrid had not been his smartest decision, but knowing Peter betrayed them all, Sirius could not let him go free. The betrayal made him realize he never really knew Peter… no _Pettigrew_ , and he could come after Harry. Plus, if he did not find Peter, no one would believe him that he wasn't the Secret Keeper. This would stop him from taking Harry anyways. It was better he was somewhere safe until Sirius could be there for him. So wrapped up in the pain that his decisions brought, Sirius did not notice Remus opening and closing his mouth, trying to say something, until he finally worked up the courage to start.

"Padfoot, I know how you're feeling, but, that's not all that happened the other night…"

Sirius' head snaps up, eyes laser focused on Remus, noticing his old friend's whole body is practically screaming hesitancy and uncertainty. "Rem, just tell me. It can't possibly be any worse."

Taking another deep breath (which was really starting to annoy Sirius, how many deep breaths does one conversation require?) Remus began speaking again "Well, it turns out that Harry being hurt wasn't all bad." At seeing Sirius furious look Remus quickly continued on "What I mean to say is, well, to put it bluntly Lily and James are alive, Sirius."

Remus did not think there could possibly be a stronger look of disbelief on anyone's face.

"Remus don't lie to me. That's impossible. I saw their bodies. I cried over both of their bodies. I went to Azkaban trying to fix things. So don't you dare tell me they are alive. I held them both, cried over them both, and desperately begged them to come back, for me, for Harry, for all of us. So don't you dare, don't you dare, tell me they are alive when we both know that's impossible."

"Well, you know they like to do the impossible. The two of them together could always do anything they put their minds to Sirius. I, well, I won't go into the whole thing, but there's a reason Harry survived that night. The two of them altered and Olde' ritual, essentially made a new one, in order to save him. Well, you know how fiercely they, we all, love Harry. They weren't okay with just saving his life. They wanted to know that if he was ever threatened again he would be protected. They managed to build a failsafe, that, if Harry ever came up against Voldemort, they would be able to come back to protect him again."

"I'm mad. That's all. Remus would never try to convince me that Lily and James are alive. I must be having a nightmare. I'm still asleep on my cot in Azkaban. I must have finally lost it. I thought I had been sane, but no. I'm finally mad."

Neither noticed the hospital wing door opening, Sirius talking to himself and Remus trying to comfort him.

"Sirius I swear you're not mad. I promise."

A cheeky voice pops in at this moment, saying "You're only as mad as I am Paddy, relax!"

This prompts Lily to slap her husband upside the head, the only proper response for him saying such a thing at this moment, before looking concerned and following James to Sirius bedside.

Remus simply wants to bang his head against a wall, preferably a very hard one or one with sharp spikes. Its only moments later, after Sirius simply mumbles "I'm mad… only explanation…" that the Animagus passes out, falling backwards onto his bed, causing Remus to turn a harsh glare on James. James just smile sheepishly, while inching away from Lily's twitching wand hand.

"I swear, I _really_ did not mean to do that."

 **AN: So, here it is. Originally it was going to be longer but I'm splitting it up so you guys can actually have an update! You guys are all amazing, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I have a poll up on my profile, I'm plotting out third year and need some help. Also, yes, I have the bulk of this planned out already! Anyways, let me know who you want to be the main bad guy in their third year. The choices are:**

 **Greyback**

 **Pettigrew**

 **Malfoy**

 **Nott Sr.**

 **Either go to the poll, or just leave it in a review. I won't make the final decision for a while yet, so you all have some time to decide!**

 **I love you all, you wonderful people! Thank you, xoxo.**


	9. 9- Developments

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Seriously, I don't.**

 _ **A/N: Hey, so here's the next chapter! It's up sooner than I expected, which I'm honestly thrilled about. If you guys like this fic, I posted the first chapter of another one called: Loophole? Yes, Please.**_

 _ **Check it out, and let me know what you think!**_

 _ **I can't believe how many of you there are! You're all just freaking fantastic! If you have a question let me know, I check my reviews all the time so I'll let you know, or just shoot me a message.**_

 _ **For those of you that let me know that the poll wasn't up yet on my profile, it is now. As it stands, from reviews, we are currently at:**_

 _ **Pettigrew: 4**_

 _ **Greyback: 3**_

 _ **Malfoy: 2**_

 _ **Nott Sr:1**_

 _ **For those of you that gave more than one answer, I basically counted a vote for the ones you seemed to be leaning towards the most. Keep voting, and let me know what you think!**_

Chapter 9:

 _Previously:_

 _A cheeky voice pops in at this moment, saying "You're only as mad as I am Paddy, relax!"_

 _This prompts Lily to slap her husband upside the head, the only proper response for him saying such a thing at this moment, before looking concerned and following James to Sirius bedside._

 _Remus simply wants to bang his head against a wall, preferably a very hard one or one with sharp spikes. Its only moments later, after Sirius simply mumbles "I'm mad… only explanation…" that the Animagus passes out, falling backwards onto his bed, causing Remus to turn a harsh glare on James. James just smile sheepishly, while inching away from Lily's twitching wand hand._

" _I swear, I really did not mean to do that."_

 _Currently:_

It's all Lily can do to resist hexing her husband at the moment. From the way he inched away, she can guess that he realizes this. Taking a calming breath, she walks over to the bed containing a man she loves like a brother. Deciding to ignore her husband for now, she turns to Remus.

"How is he? Really?" she asks, attempting to keep the anxiety out of her wavering voice.

Remus sighs, running a hand over his face. "He's acting like he's fine, but, that's what he does. I think it'll take a while before what happened hits him. All we can really do is be patient for right now."

Having gathered courage, James is now standing next to Lily, still afraid of her but not wanting to be too far away from her either. "We'll have to keep a close eye on him… We don't want a repeat of the Shrieking Shack."

They all wince slightly at the reminder. After Sirius had shown up at James house bloody and shaking Christmas break of sixth year, they had all expected him to blow up or break down as soon as he was able to. Unfortunately it wasn't until later that year when Snape decided to taunt Sirius about his family that it all came to a head. Sirius all common sense desert him, and Snape payed the price for it.

"Yes, well, I would really rather it not come to that again." Lily says, a note of worry shining through in her voice.

"We won't let it" James soothes, gripping her hand and looking her straight in her eyes. After a few moments of them simply gazing at each other, Remus pointedly clears his throat, causing both to blush and turn away as if they were still in school being scolded by McGonagall. Although, with the look Remus was giving them the comparison may not be far off.

"Where were you both earlier? I rather expected it to be impossible to separate you from Harry so soon." Remus inquires, curiousity in his eyes.

"We had to stop my parents from doing something stupid" Lily grumbles, arms crossing as she remembers.

Flashback:

After they had all moved into the warm living room, serious discussions began, loathe though they were to do anything but bask in the contentment of being in one another's company again. It was Lily who brought up the first topic of discussion, asking her parents if they would really destroy the Stone. It was James who came up with the idea of securing the stone under blood wards and a Fidelius, something both Flamel's appreciated. It would allow them to keep the stone safe, and remain upon the earth with their children and grandchildren. Nicolas remembers Remus and Sirius, inquiring after them. With a heavy heart, James explains all that the two marauders had been through. They are all silent for a few moments, allowing the news to sink in for the two Flamel's, and providing a moment to grieve for all their friends had endured for James and Lily.

Perenelle is the next to speak up, enquiring after the health of Harry. Sighing, Lily explains how he should be awake sometime today, but they don't know when for sure. Perenelle's eyes fill with tears as she begins to apologize for not being able to raise him. Lily envelops her mother in a hug and calms her saying she knows it wasn't her fault- it was too dangerous. They wouldn't have been able to raise Harry any more than they were able to with herself. Nicolas feels the need to apologize for Petunia, but Lily waves it off. She knows being a squib made Petunia bitter, it wasn't their fault. Leaving them both with the Evan's had truly been the best idea. The Evan's were a long line of squibs, disowned from the House of Black. Although none had shown magical talent in the family for centuries (since both Flamel's were at Hogwarts, in fact), they continued to pass down knowledge of the magical world to help prepare their descendants for what they may face.

After a while longer of catching up and learning what they have missed, Lily and James head back to the Hospital Wing, allowing her parents the privacy and rest that they desired. Both simply concentrating upon the desire to get to know their son, and develop a bond with him, as soon as they can.

Back to the Present:

"Let's just say," Lily begins, "they were dissuaded. I suspect they will stay until they are able to meet Harry, whenever that may be."

Remus nods in acknowledgment, having suspected they would wish to meet their grandson.

After a few beats of silence, all three turn their bodies towards the sound of Madam Pomfrey's office door opening. She bustles over rather quickly, taking a glance at Sirius' sleeping form before looking at James. "Alright, what did you do now?"

Attempting to look innocent, James asks "Why would you think my friend sleeping peacefully is my fault? I'm really hurt Poppy."

Rolling her eyes ever so slightly, the matron responds. "You forget just how long I've known you for. Or do I have to remind you of that incident in your fourth year with the mouse trap and the itching powder?"

James pales as Remus begins to snicker under his breath, and Lily gives him a curious stare. "No, that's fine Poppy. I think I remember that one. Honestly all I did was give him a little bit of a shock Poppy."

Nodding, she begins to run her wand over Sirius. "Well, it wasn't entirely your fault. His magical reserves were low. I suspect he had been using that Animagus form for too long with no way to replenish his core. I suspected he would have gone into magical exhaustion soon anyways. I was planning on giving him dreamless sleep to help him recover, but it might be best to just let him wake up naturally. I don't expect him to wake until nightfall anyways."

All three bedside occupants nod, and James looks slightly relieved that he did not actually cause this to happen. "Call me out if there are any changes, but I doubt that will happen."

They all nod dutifully again. Satisfied, the Medi-Witch heads back to her office, closing the door firmly behind her. The three settle in to talk about nothing, content to simply enjoy one another's company after so long and watch over their loved ones.

Later that same day:

James, Lily, and Remus debate about exactly how awful the existence of the Slug Club is was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey once again leaving her office to check on the occupants of the Hospital Wing. Not saying a word, she moves over to Sirius, once again performing several spells to check his health. Nodding in apparent satisfaction, she moves on to check on Harry without saying a word, vexing the worried visitor's. She repeats the process with Harry, a slightly surprised expression covering her face before quickly smoothing it over. Nodding once more to herself, she summons a Patronus and sends it off before turning to the very impatient family.

"Sirius should be out for another few hours, whereas Mr. Potter is actually rather close to awakening. I have summoned the headmaster, who should be here shortly to explain matters for when Mr. Potter does awake." Holding up her hand to forestall any obvious complaints, she continues on. "I realize that you wish to be the first ones to see your son when he awakes, but seeing as you have been dead for 10 years, I wish to lessen the shock factor in hopes of actually keeping the young man awake" she says, shooting a slight glare at James who had the sense of mind to look, at the very least, sheepish at the reference to the earlier event. "I will pull the curtains between the beds in order to give privacy but ensure you may be close by in the event he wishes to meet you straight away."

Although disgruntled, both James and Lily agree to this, looking slightly despondent as the matron follows through on her word and closes the curtains, cutting off their view of their son.

A few moments after the medi-witch leaves, they hear the Hospital Wing doors open, and someone settle down into a chair near them. James mouths "Dumbledore" to Lily, who nods in agreement. Both settle in to wait, knowing it may be a few minutes, Remus following suit.

 _(_ _Quoted from the book_ _w/ some changes)_

 _Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy._

 _He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange._

 _He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him._

" _Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore._

 _Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick-"_

" _Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."_

" _Then who does? Sir, I-"_

" _Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."_

 _Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop._ _On the other side of that table, curtains were drawn, obviously giving some other occupant privacy._

" _Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you. Madam Pomfrey, however, felt I might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."_

" _How long have I been in here?"_

" _Two days._ _Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come around, they have been extremely worried._ _As well as a few people I don't think you have had the pleasure of being introduced to."_

" _But sir, the Stone-"_

" _I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say."_

" _You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"_

" _We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you-"_

" _It was you."_

" _I feared I might be too late."_

" _You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer-"_

" _Not the Stone, boy, you- the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone,_ _I believe its owners have found a much more secure place for it. It was to be destroyed, but I believe their family persuaded them otherwise."_

" _Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend- Nicolas Flamel-"_

" _Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat,_ one his daughter and son-in-law were only too happy to join in on. I believe, had they not talked to him Nicolas and his wife, Pernelle, would have died rather than allow someone else to possibly injured. However, family is a powerful motivating factor."

" _But that means he and his wife_ _would_ _die,_ _wouldn't it?"_

" _They_ _would_ _have_ _had_ _enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order, and then, yes,_ _they would have died."_

 _Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face._

" _To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day._ _I believe not having their family until very recently had taken its toll. They were prepared to join them in the next life very shortly I believe._ _After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone_ is _really not such a wonderful thing. As much money as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all- the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."_

 _Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling._

" _Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking… Sir-even if the Stone was gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who-"_

" _Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always us the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."_

" _Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"_

" _No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share… not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time- and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."_

 _Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me… things I want to know the truth about..."_

" _The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."_

" _Well… Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"_

 _Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time._

" _Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day… put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older… I know you hate to hear this… when you are ready, you will know."_

 _And Harry knew it would be no good to argue._

" _But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"_

" _Your mother and father died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your parent's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."_

 _Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet._

"Alas Harry I believe there is something else you should know," Dumbledore continued on.

"What is that sir?" Harry asked, curiosity sparking in his drying eyes.

"Well I believe it would make sense to you, to assume your parents had no desire to leave you, am I correct?"

Wordlessly, Harry nodded his head.

"Well it so happens that they knew it was a possibility. However, both realized that it was quite possible that their deaths would not mean Voldemort's demise, either."

"Sir, what are you trying to say?" Harry asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Harry your parents utilized that very stone you saved tonight, in order to save you. However, your mother and father were not two of my brightest students for no reason. You see, the ritual they did to save you, they managed to build a failsafe in. In the even that you were ever to come up against the one that caused their deaths, you would be protected."

"Sir, you already told me this. It's what saved me from Quirrell, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes Harry it is. But there was more to that ritual than the protection that runs through your veins. Harry, when you faced Voldemort the other night, when that protection activated, it brought back the protector themselves."

"Sir, I'm not quite sure I understand. You told me no spell can bring back the dead, and that's what you're talking about, right? My parents being alive?"

"I apologize if it seems as if I mislead you, Harry. The ritual they did was very risky. While they knew that you would survive, they did not know if they would ever be able to come back to you. I did not wish to mention this, in case it did not happen. I also did not wish you to seek out harm."

"Sir, my parents, they… Do they know what happened? Do they want to see me?"

"Ah, Harry. I believe that they want to see you more than you know. Every moment they could, they have been by your bedside, waiting for you to wake up. The only reason they are not here right now, is it was decided that you may take things better if someone else explained things to you."

"And it's really them?" Harry asked nervously. His hesitancy was understandable. The poor boy had gone a decade without his parents, with hardly any memory of them. To simply find out that they are alive and waiting to meet him, well, it would be overwhelming to say the least.

"Would you like to meet them my boy?" Dumbledore asks softly.

Slowly, Harry nods. Albus flicks his wand, and the curtain at the next bed over moves away. On the bed is a black haired, rather gaunt and pale looking man, who is, for some strange reason, chained to another man sitting in the visitor's chair. This man has golden brown hair, and warm amber eyes. Standing right where the curtain had just been, is a man and a woman. Both are facing Harry's bed, with anxious, longing expressions on their faces. The women has long, wavy, auburn red hair, with the same emerald green eyes that he sees in the mirror each time he looks. The man, Harry thinks, simply looks like a grown-up version of himself, which is slightly disturbing. The main differences are the warm hazel eyes that gaze at Harry, and the absence of the famed lightning bolt scar.

Harry knows who they are. He gazed at their images in the Mirror of Erised long enough to know. These are his parents.

Dumbledore discreetly moves to the next bedside and once again draws the curtains, allowing the family some measure of privacy.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry manages to choke out, still staring in slight disbelief at the people in front of him. These are his parents. The thing he wants most, his family, and they are standing right in front of him. It seem too good to be true.

"Oh, Harry." Lily says, moving towards his bedside, and pulling her husband, who seems to be in shock, along with her.

"Hey, kiddo," James says, his voice cracking slightly, and eyes suspiciously shiny.

Not pausing to think about it, Harry pulls them both into a hug. Enveloped in warmth and an indescribable feeling, Harry thinks to himself, 'I suppose, this is finally what it's like to get a hug from my parents.'

 _ **So! Here it is! Harry is awake, and we have the first bit of him with his parents. No, it won't be all smooth sailing. As one amazing reviewer pointed out, he doesn't actually know them. They don't actually know him either. It will be rough at times, and no, it won't be perfect, because that's not realistic. But all of them, Harry, Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus, will be a family, and each has a role to play.**_

 _ **Also, to preemptively answer a question someone might pose- Why is Harry waking up so much sooner? In canon he was out for three days, yes I know this. The fact is it was taking much too long for him to wake up. Also, the bond between him and his parents may have something to do with it. So, I suppose my official answer is that James and Lily coming back strengthened him, and made it so he needs less recovery time.**_

 _ **Also, the flashback to the time with the Flamel's/Lily's parents- I kinda took the lazy way out in writing it because it was taking forever, and that's what was truly holding me back on writing this chapter. I figured it was more important for you to know what happened than have a super detailed narration of it. I may eventually go back and replace it with a full scene, but, I don't have any plans to do so at this moment.**_

 _ **News:**_

 _ **My wonderful sister has another new fic- I may be slightly obsessed.**_

 _ **(She's Mia-Marauder-Potter on here)**_

 _ **Newest chapter of "A Marauder Hopeful and His Most Logical Friend" has yours truly as an OC (Jess) and my sister is Kat. She has truly nailed us perfectly, and the stuff for her new chapter looks absolutely fantastic. I think you'll like it.**_

 _ **Okay, I'll stop bragging now, promise! (At least for this chapter, that is)**_

 _ **Review! Please please review! I love hearing from you all!**_


	10. 10- Repeats

_**A/N: Ta-da! The chapter is finally done. It did turn out shorter than I wanted it to be, but hopefully you like it. I solemnly swear to update once a month from here on out! I am so sorry everyone! Feel free to incessantly spam me if you so wish. Well, maybe not incessantly, but seriously, feel free to message me! I hope you all like it!**_

 **Chapter 10- Repeats**

Remus sighed heavily. He was currently in the Hospital Wing, waiting for someone to wake up. Sirius was still asleep, and the Potter's had all fallen asleep in a mish-mash of bodies after their reunion. They hadn't intended to, of course, but being able to relax in each other's arms after such heavy emotional weights, managed to do them all in. It also wasn't particularly helpful that Harry was still healing, and Lily and James had just come back from the dead, and hadn't truly slept.

The scene was just too touching (and blackmail worthy) to pass up, so Remus took his chance at summoning a camera. After a few moments of foot-tapping in waiting, and an old camera (that Remus was sure he recognized) flew towards him. Nimbly catching it in order to not be hit in the face, Remus then positioned it for the best shot. Well, as best as he could at the moment. Sirius had yet to wake up, so he was still magically tethered to his side. Smirking, Remus turned the camera on Sirius drooling face and snapped a picture. These pictures would stay hidden until needed, back-up plans were always needed when being a part of the Marauder's.

The Marauder's. Was he already accepting all of this so quickly? Normally he would be running and denying, not believing any of it until something finally pushed him over the edge.

No, he was actually accepting it. Somehow, he knew why. Remus could feel Moony crooning in delight at his pack being re-united. A place that he didn't even know was hollow had suddenly been filled in his heart. It was if when he lost everything so many years ago, the knowledge of anything but how to keep moving turned itself off. Oh, he could still use it. But the desire and willingness to had disappeared. With everyone back together, Remus was already slipping back into old habits.

It broke Remus' heart though. It was unlikely that this would actually last. Sirius would need good publicity so that no one ran screaming from him in public. James and Lily would want to avoid bad press to make things easier for Harry. A werewolf would never factor into any of those plans. Sure, not everyone in the wizarding world knew. It was only a matter of time though.

Sighing, Remus rubbed his hands over his face. As soon as he was untethered from Sirius, he would leave. An excuse would be needed, but if he could protect his pack at all he would. Remus had become a master of disappearing, so they would be unable to find him when he left.

"No."

Remus jerked his head up. Apparently sometime in his self-depreciating internal monologue Sirius had woken up.

"What are you talking about Sirius?"

"Moony cut the crap. Just because I've been in Azkaban for 10 years doesn't mean I don't know you. You're planning to do something stupidly self-sacrificing because you think it's the only way the rest of us can be truly happy."

Remus simply stared at him, his jaw dropped and eyes wide. He felt 11 again, when they had just figured out his secret. If he didn't know better, he would have suspected Sirius of using Leglimency on him. "I don't know what you're talking about Sirius. I was simply thinking of some things that Dumbledore needs my help with."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. For such an undernourished, pale man, he could look quite intimidating. "Remus that is possibly one of the worst lies you've ever told. That's the same look you wore back in first year when you told us you would ask Dumbledore to send you home when we discovered your secret."

Remus winced. Yes, he realized he felt like he was 11 again. He just had not expected his facial expressions to be so transparent. "Sirius what else am I supposed to do? You need all the good publicity you can get, and Lily and James will want all the time they can get with Harry. I'll just be in the way, and I won't prevent any of you from having the happiness you deserve."

"What about your happiness Moony?" Sirius whispered.

Remus sighed, sadness in his eyes. "Padfoot, I think…"

"You're wrong." A quiet voice cut him off.

Both Remus and Sirius's eyes shot towards the voice. At the end of the bed stood a mini-James, with brilliant emerald green eyes and a scar upon his forehead.

"Harry…." They both breathed out.

"I'm not sure who either of you are," Harry continued, ignoring their reaction, "but everyone deserves happiness. I may have known them for only a few hours, most of which we spent sleeping, but I doubt my, er, parents want you to stay away from them."

Harry shifted on his feet, feeling rather awkward. He had woken up a couple minutes ago, and had heard a camera going off. Opening his eyes, Harry had found that at some point in the hug turned into a cuddling session, both he and his parents must have fallen asleep. They were on either side of him, arms locking together so that they were holding onto both each other and himself. As amazing as this was, Harry felt a tad trapped and needed to get out of the bed. With some rather awkward maneuvering, he managed to get the blankets underneath himself, and shimmy out of the bed.

Harry paused at the end of the bed, when he heard a voice saying "No", in such a fierce tone that it took him by surprise. Listening, Harry decided that they must be discussing something important. While he knew eavesdropping was wrong, his "no interfering" policy probably should have gone down the drain as soon as he thought of it. While it was unlikely that these men actually posed any kind of threat, it didn't hurt to listen just in case. Plus, the Hospital Wing was boring, and there was only so much Harry could do to entertain himself until his parents woke up or Ron and Hermione came.

However, when Harry heard his parent's names, he knew he should interfere. Growing up with the Dursley's was a terrible experience, but allowed him to see just how important family and friends are. As much as he hated living with the Dursley's, the days where they pretended he did not exist were worse than when he had more chores than any human being could accomplish. In Harry's mind no one, not even Malfoy, deserves to feel that lonely.

"You're wrong," Harry cut in. Steeling himself, he continued to talk, "I'm not sure who either of you are, but everyone deserves happiness. I may have known them for only a few hours, most of which we spent sleeping, but I doubt my, er, parents want you to stay away from them."

At seeing both men's rather flabbergasted expressions, Harry faltered and stopped talking. Suddenly, the gaunt man lying on the hospital bed let out a loud, bark-like laugh.

"See Moony? Even Prongslet agrees. You can't think about running off now."

"He doesn't understand Sirius. He doesn't know what I am."

Harry crossed his arms, feeling annoyed at being ignored. Sure, what he said was acknowledged, but that was it. Both men seemed intent on finishing their conversation. "Look," he broke in, annoyance coloring his tone, "I don't care if I don't have all the facts. What I said still stands."

"He's right," James cut in. All three gave a jump, not noticing the man sneaking up behind them before. "Moony, I won't tell Harry your circumstances, but if I have to place a tracking charm on you myself, I will. Lils and I will need help, and even if you've been out of touch with the wizarding world, you know more about the muggle world than any of our other close friends. If anything, we will need your help, not the other way around."

Harry smiled, unnoticed by his father and Remus. It was nice for an adult to take him seriously, the Dursley's never did, and while he was treated better at Hogwarts, the only adult that listened to him was Hagrid. Harry was still debating with himself if Hagrid really counted as an adult, when he was more of a friend than anything else.

Shaking himself out of his stupor of thought, Harry refocused on the scene in front of him. His dad and Remus were still arguing (although it seemed to be the same argument, just said differently every time). Harry glanced at the man on the bed. He still looked rather gaunt, and there was shadow and light conflicting in his eyes. Curiously, he moved closer to the bed. The man, Sirius, noticed the movement and patted the side of his bed, silently inviting Harry to sit down. Harry started to contemplate whether to accept the invite or not, but, he was curious.

Sirius saw Harry debating internally, but whooped for joy when his godson came and sat on the edge of the bed with him. "I suppose you would like to know what's going on, huh kiddo?"

At this, a replica of Lily's emerald eyes gazed up at him with unparalleled curiosity. "I suppose…" he started, "I don't exactly enjoy being kept in the dark."

Sirius chuckled. Harry already seemed to be a brilliant combination of both James and Lily. "Well, let me actually introduce myself. I am Sirius Black, sometimes known as Padfoot. James and Lily made me your godfather. However, due to… unforeseen circumstances that just recently changed, I was unable to take care of you. Remus, the one arguing with your Dad, is also known as Moony. The three of us were like brothers, both in school and out. Moony, Remus, has a furry little problem that makes him tend to hide away in the Muggle world, to make things simpler. Your Dad and him are arguing about that right now. Moony wants to hide away again because he thinks it would be better for you. Obviously, you and I disagree, as does your dad."

"Mum would as well…" Harry mutters.

Sirius raises an eyebrow, surprised. Of course it was true, but he doubts Harry had spent enough time with Lily to learn that first hand. Harry must have seen his surprise, because he flushes in embarrassment and rushes to explain himself.

"It's just that… I don't think Dad would have married someone who would have such a giant issue with one of his 'brothers'. Also, for everything Snape says about Dad, he never has once insulted Mum. Snape insults everyone. Except Mum, even though I seem to be his favorite target."

Sirius clenches his fists at that logic. Oh, there were several reasons why Snape might not insult Lily, but he could not fault Harry's logic. It was very creative and observant.

"You're absolutely right Prongslet. Your mom would never let Remus run off like that. Smart thinking kid." Sirius ruffles Harry's hair at the end of the statement, expecting him to pull away, but instead, he flinches before relaxes into the touch. Unwilling to think about the possible implications of such an action, for the moment, Sirius settles in closer to where Harry is sitting on the bed and simply watches Remus and James argue.

Both content in their own worlds together, neither notice Lily sneak up on them.

"They are still arguing?" she sighs, seeming to not notice both Sirius and Harry's now racing hearts. A mischievous gleam enters her eyes. "Don't worry boys, I can fix this."

She stands up straighter, seemingly gaining almost 6 inches in height as she does so. A sense of power radiates off of her which makes Harry and Sirius both slightly wary for the two still arguing men. However, neither are willing to jump in the line of fire.

"JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER AND REMUS JOHN LUPIN. EXPLAIN. YOURSELVES. NOW."

The men stop arguing immediately, and go deathly pale. Both stutter, attempting to form coherent words and sentences. Lily holds up her hand, and both fall silent immediately. "This is what will happen. Remus, you may either come live with us or use another Potter property. We will not force you to stay with us, but either way I _will_ assign you your own personal Potter elf to make sure you are taking proper care of yourself. If you run away from us, I will personally drag you back in the most creative way possible."

Remus nodded in acceptance, ready to be done with Lily's ire. When she chose to use it, that temper could send hardened Auror's or Voldemort's inner circle running. To his utter relief, she turned to James next.

"James, you will allow your friend to make his own decisions. It is his life, and I will not have his free agency taken away from him. I never want to hear you arguing with him like that again, especially not in front of Harry. Am I clear boys?"

Both nod, happy that her temper seems to be coming to an end. Harry just watches in awe, while Sirius fights to contain chuckles. Being on the receiving end of Lily's temper was never fun, but watching it will never get old. Harry whispers in awe to Sirius, "Mum's scary, isn't she?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it pup. This was her partially acting, trying to get them both to shut up and the resolution that would have happened anyways. Never do something to actually incur your mother's wrath, because, believe me, it is not a pretty thing to be on the end of."

Harry shudders, "I believe it. Not even Voldemort is that scary."

Sirius winces at the reminder. It was easier to pretend that Harry was just a normal kid when the two were in their own bubble, but already Sirius can tell that that is not the case. Besides the flinching and the astounding observational skills, Harry had a certain presence around him that neither James nor Lily possessed.

Before Sirius could even contemplate what to say next, Lily had turned around to face Sirius and Harry, and eyebrow raised and one of her hands on her hip. Both smiled sheepishly, copying one another without even realizing it. Lily and James both saw this though, and felt a little stab of pain go through their hearts for what was lost.

"I think…" she began, looking at James. Immediately recognizing what she needs, James comes up to her and holds her hand while she speaks. "James, Harry and I need to talk for a couple of minutes, and then I need to sneak down to the kitchens and grab some food. I get the feeling none of us are going to be sleeping for quite a while, and it is already at least 10. Poppy would not take kindly to a house-elf popping in and disturbing her sleep or other patients."

Harry snorted, knowing just how upset the Medi-Witch could get if the slightest thing was out of order or not under her control. She means well, and takes her job seriously, but that does not mean that sometimes it was not frustrating. He learned this first hand when Ron had been in the Hospital Wing for the 'dog bite' he had received.

Harry reluctantly gets up from Sirius' bed, finding he already enjoyed the comfort of the man's presence beside him. Moving back to his own bed, with his Mom and Dad following, Harry lets himself think about what they may be discussing. What could they discuss? Do they actually want to talk to him, or do they just feel obligated? Shaking his head slightly, Harry relaxes against the headboard of the bed and makes room for his parents to sit at the end of his bed. As soon as they seem to be settled, each leaning onto one another, James opens his mouth to speak.

"Harry, we just wanted to tell you a couple of things. I know this may be strange for you, living without us for so long already, but we want to know more about you, and we want you in our lives. We promise not to force you to tell us every detail, but we are your parents. We need to be able to protect you. We want to be a family again."

Harry smiled. He had been worried about his parents not really wanting him, but apparently, that was untrue. Their need to protect him did make him a little cautious. Harry knows he is their son, but, what if they died protecting him again? Plus, Harry has spent so long taking care of himself, he isn't quite sure that there is another way to do things. Maybe he could tell them some things, but not the ones that could mean they get hurt? Yes, that is exactly what he will do. It only seems fair. They sacrificed themselves for him, now he can protect them as much as possible. Besides, it's not as if Voldemort is going to possess someone else next year. Everything should be fine.

"I would like that," Harry says with a smile, brain whirling already with plans to protect his parents from danger.

"Alright," Lily says with a smile. "I love you both, but I better get down to the kitchens and get us all some food. We can't all survive on Harry's pyramid of sweets," she says, glancing with a wry smile and the table next to, and at the end of, Harry's bed.

"Alright love, hurry back. We don't want you to get caught now, would we?"

Lily rolled her eyes. Just because her husband is a Marauder does not mean she is incapable of sneaking around the school. She had spent seven years of her life here as well. "Relax, oh Marauder. I am capable of sneaking to and from the kitchens, believe it or not."

He raised his eyebrows, taking this as a challenge. "Want to make a bet, oh sneaky one?"

Lily's grin looked like the cat that caught the canary. "You are so on. What are the wagers?"

James eyes alighted with mischief, "You get caught, I can start teaching Harry to be an Animagus when he is ready."

Lily arched an eyebrow. She was fairly sure he had planned long ago to do that with or without her consent. "Fine. If I don't get caught, you have to tell McGonagall that it was Sirius in his Animagus form who stuck her in her cat form and chased her around the castle all day in seventh year, courtesy of your plan."

However, Sirius had obviously heard and was not happy with this. "Oi, Lils, do not drag me down with him!"

James looked her in the eyes however, and nodded his head in acceptance. Lily smiled and headed out the Hospital Wing doors, confidence in her every step.

"Is it always like this?" Harry questioned. James smile just grew impossibly large, but Harry was almost positive he heard Remus mumble "You have no idea…."

 _ **A/N: Look at that! I actually know how to update something! Just so you all know, I have officially closed the poll for our mystery villain in third year. If you want to know who won, message me. Otherwise, I think I will leave it a surprise!**_

 _ **Anyone who may be reading Loophole, I updated that just a couple hours ago!**_

 _ **In case you missed at the beginning of the chapter, I do so solemnly swear to update once a month!**_

 _ **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**_

 _ **I want to know what you think! Throw all your questions at me!**_

 _ **Please review. I swear, you will receive virtual cookies of the highest quality if you do!**_


	11. 11- Off-set

**A/N: Here's another chapter! I meant to have it out some time ago, but well, this month has been crazy. Several important birthday's, a vacation, and super bad luck. Like, as an example, I had to make a window for my car out of plastic wrap and duck-tape, in the rain. However, it has been completed! I hope you all enjoy it, I had to re-write a rather large chunk because I somehow forgot a plot point that had already happened. Loophole won't be up for another few hours, that chapter has been giving me some issues lately (hopefully not too much longer, I do have to be up at 4 a.m for work).**

 **Enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter 11- Off-set**_

To be honest, this trip was taking longer than Lily expected it to. Oh, she wasn't lost. After spending seven years here and marrying a Marauder, it was nigh unto impossible to get lost in the castle. Rather, this was the first chance she had to enjoy being back in her second home. Yes, they had spent the night and day previous in the castle, but that was all either in their quarters, Dumbledore's office, or the Hospital Wing. This was the first chance she had to wander, to take long, twisting routes to her destination. It was late, so the only thing Lily really had to worry about was running into any patrolling teachers. Albus may have told Minerva, but somehow Lily doubted any others knew already.

Humming to herself, Lily turned down another corridor, finally making progress on her way to the kitchens. However, when she finally neared her destination, Lily realized there was a teacher waiting for the late-night wanderers to the kitchen. Strangely feeling as if she was back in school, Lily cursed under her breath and extinguished the light coming from her wand, hoping she had not just lost the bet. Unfortunately, it seemed to be too late, as she heard someone drawl (in a rather menacing voice);

"Whoever decided that they are above the rules may as well come out. If I am required to chase you down, you may find the punishment less than… pleasant."

Lily knew that voice. How did she know that voice…? It wasn't any of her old teachers, and it certainly wasn't someone she has seen since her return… that means it could only be one person.

Stepping out of the shadows, Lily places a smile on her face and says, "Hello Sev. It's been awhile."

Many emotions seem to rapidly flit across his face before they were locked behind impenetrable Occlumency barriers. Lily started at the sight. Although their friendship ended before sixth year, it was still a shock to see someone she used to know so well hide themselves from her. After the incident at the end of their fifth year they didn't really talk, but it was still easy to read his emotions. Going from that to a completely unreadable face was a little unnerving.

"Should I assume that you already know of our return?"

"Indeed… I had the misfortune of running across Potter in the Headmaster's office."

"You saw James?" Lily questioned, wondering why her husband did not mention such a thing.

"If you wish to call him that, then yes. Although he seemed rather… pre-occupied, at the time."

"Discovering the person who betrayed you to Voldemort does tend to have that effect…"

"Only on those with minds too small to divide their concentration would suffer such an effect… Potter seems to still have difficulties focusing on one thing at a time, let alone two."

Lily's eyebrow arched rather impressively in response to that statement. She had been hoping time and, well, death, would mellow her once friend out in relation to her husband. It seemed as if she was mistaken. "Over a decade and you still feel the need to insult my husband at every opportunity?"

A sneer that had only ever been targeted at the Marauder's found a new victim. "One does relinquish a chance to showcase the extreme faults of someone who made their adolescence unbearable."

"Over a decade though. You have to move on sometime."

"Oh, I plan to. Now excuse me. I must go see the Headmaster about some rather… sensitive information. Do see that you do not bring the castle down in my absence."

Before Lily could fully register what was said, his wand light was extinguished and he had disappeared around the corridor.

Feeling both distinctly annoyed and slightly shocked, Lily tickled the pear on the portrait to the kitchen, suddenly realizing she would have to explain how she lost the bet to her husband, and lamenting what that meant for his ego.

 **~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~**

James was in a slight pickle. Lily had left to go get food for them all, and hopefully, lose a bet. In the meantime, he was stuck with the task of trying to get to know a suddenly eleven-year-old son, and stopping his friends from saying anything too embarrassing in the process. It can only be so difficult though, right?

Unfortunately for him, Sirius seemed to have his Gryffindor courage when it came to talking to Harry.

"So, Harry, what's your favorite subject in school?"

Harry looked thoughtful before jumping up from his bed and planting himself at the end of Sirius bed. "Well, I suppose probably Charms. Defense is cool, but with all of Quirrell's stuttering, we didn't really learn a lot. It was mostly homework assignments and reading out of the book. Books are Hermione's thing, not mine."

"What's she like?" James asked, feeling curious about his son's friends.

"Well, she's super smart. She knows spells way beyond our grade level, and her definition of light reading is a two-foot thick tome. She's super stubborn, but she has an immense respect for teachers and authority…" pausing, Harry seemed to think for a few minutes. "As much as she respects and trusts authority, she is willing to bend or even break rules. She's also a really good listener, and cares a lot about people."

Remus smiled, it sounds like Harry had managed to pick some good friends. "She sounds amazing Harry. What about Ron?"

Harry smiled slightly, "Well, he's really funny. He doesn't come off as the smartest person, but he's more intelligent than a lot of people give him credit for. He's really good at chess. Ron doesn't enjoy school, but he enjoys magic. He has a pretty large family."

James smiled at that. While meeting the Weasley's was somewhat dampened by discovering the rat, he does remember enjoying the twins banter and the interaction between the brother's. "We met some of his brother's earlier, before you woke up."

"Really?" Harry exclaims, surprise showing on his face.

Remus nods. "There was quite the little gathering in here, before things got a bit… Crazy?"

Harry glances between all three men, curiosity shining in his eyes. Harry can tell all three men are nervous and upset about something, and not likely to answer all of his questions. Before he can decide whether or not to ask despite that fact, his father interrupts the tense silence that had overtaken the group.

"How did you become friends with Ron and Hermione?"

Harry winces internally. Ron and him had simply met on the train to school, but Hermione… He wasn't sure if his Dad was quite ready for that story.

"Well… Ron and I met on the train to school. We bonded over food, and he told me more about the Wizarding world. Hermione did not really get on with us until Halloween."

"Really?" James questions, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"We thought she was just a bossy know-it-all. Ron made her upset, and we went to find her and sorted things out."

Harry felt tense, hoping his father fell for the explanation. While technically not a lie, there was a troll sized hole in the story. A hole he hopes his father, godfather, and honorary uncle completely miss.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson's explanation. That was a little too simple of an answer for what sounded like possibly several months of disagreement with someone. Sirius remembers when Lily finally started to accept him as a friend, and it was several weeks of interesting things happening before they could solidly be called friends. As much as he may want the full story, it is obvious Harry doesn't feel comfortable telling them. While he would like to push, they have only technically been re-united for a few hours now. The last thing Sirius wants is for Harry to feel uncomfortable around him. So, ruffling his hair, Sirius changes the subject. "What about Quidditch? Do you like it?"

Harry's face lights up, and Sirius just knows he hit the right topic of conversation. "I love it! Really it was just flying in general at first, but then the longer I am on the team, the more I enjoy the sport itself. Although I doubt I will ever have the same level of dedication as my captain."

"Whoa, whoa, wait. How are you on the team? First years aren't allowed." James questioned, his face a mask of confusion with Remus and Sirius not looking much better off.

"Well, McGonagall put me on it. After my first flying lesson, I thought I was going to be in so much trouble, but she just took me to the captain and told him she had found him a seeker. Granted, I was still confused because I didn't really know that much about quidditch, but it worked out."

"Cub, back up a bit. Explain how you got on the team exactly." Remus replied, hoping to get the actual story at some point.

"Oh, yah. So, we were at our first flying lesson, and Neville Longbottom, he's in Gryffindor with me, his broom just takes off with him on it. Anyways, he ends up falling off and Madam Hooch has to take him to the Hospital Wing. She tells us to stay where we are and leaves. Well Malfoy realizes that Neville had dropped the Rememberall that his grandmother had sent him just that morning. I tell him to put it down, but he gets on his broom and tells me to come and get it. Well, anyways, I did go after him, but he threw the Rememberall, so I dived on my broom to catch it. I managed to, but McGonagall saw me. The rest you already know."

All three men stare at him, mouths hanging open.

"Blimey James," Sirius whispers, "and I thought we were good."

"I know," James says back, awe coloring his voice. "Harry, you must be the youngest seeker for quite some time."

"A century," Harry mumbles, sounding slightly embarrassed and his face heating up at the attention he is receiving.

Suddenly, Remus bursts out laughing. The others turn to him, completely bewildered.

"What?" Harry asks, feeling defensive.

"Sorry Harry, I'm not laughing at you. Just, James and Sirius always thought they were the best possible Quidditch players out there during school. I used to commentate on their matches, and it was always fun taking jabs at their ego. It is just brilliant that you obviously surpass their talent levels from the first time on a broom. One of my dreams from school has finally come true," he finished, wiping away a fake tear.

"Well," Sirius began, "I have to say I am proud of our pup for being so much better than us. However, no one will ever outclass us as pranksters."

Harry snorted, he very much doubted that statement. After living in the castle with Fred and George for a year, it was hard to imagine someone surpassing them.

"You doubt our abilities?" James sounded scandalized at the very thought.

"No offense, but Fred and George are probably the worst pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen."

"Oh yah?" James challenged.

Harry nods, but then looks on warily as all three men, even Remus, have an almost predatory look in their eyes, ready to defend the Marauder title.

 _ **~OSAL~OSAL~OSAL~**_

It was to loud laughter and an annoyed Medi-Witch that Lily returned. All four of her favorite boys were clutching their sides, tears of laughter rolling down their faces. After everything that happened, it was a relief to see them all enjoying themselves, even if only for the time being. Carefully setting packed basket of food on Sirius' bedside table, Lily looked at them all questioningly, waiting for an answer.

Remus was, unsurprisingly, the first to get ahold of himself. Looking to Lily, he simply said "Marauder pride."

Fortunately, that was enough for Lily to figure out what must have occurred while she was gone. Somehow, Harry had wondered about their competence as pranksters, which lead to stories of their best pranks in order to prove him incorrect. Lily had seen this happen a few times, mainly between the Marauder's and the Prewett twins.

"Boy's, food is here"

All of them react to that, reaching for the basket of food next to Sirius.

"Wait, Lilykins, you're back! How did the trip go?" James inquired of his wife.

"I may have potentially encountered a teacher, Snape to be exact."

While Harry scrunched his nose in disgust, James and Sirius whooped with joy and Remus just chuckled fondly at the pair.

After they were finally done celebrating, James turned to Harry. "So, Harry, how would you like to become an Animagus?"

This only served to earn him a ferocious glare from his wife, and a slap to the back of his head.

 **A/N: Wow! There are so many of you! Over 100 favorites and almost 170 follows! That's so amazing! Thank you guys so much!**

 **Remember, PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **You are all so epically amazing, everyone take a slice of virtual cake, and the cookies you are all owed (I would say cookies again, but it's my birthday, so everyone gets cake instead).**


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